


That's What You Get

by PikaPrincess



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Friendship, High School AU, Slow Burn, Teenage Dorks, Teenage Shenanigans, Underage Drinking, definitely lots of emo bands references, how do you dialogue, it's what i listened to in high school, lots of sebastian being an emo kid, love dodecahedron, takes place many years before the game, teenage angst, there will be lots of drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-25 13:45:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13835985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PikaPrincess/pseuds/PikaPrincess
Summary: High School AUSebastian is sort-of in love with Abigail, who is infatuated with the new girl, Rey, who has a crush on Sam, who really likes Penny, who has a huge crush on Alex, who is definitely boning Haley?Does it matter? It can't get much messier than this.Can it?





	1. The New Girl In School

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something I'm writing to curb my urge to write.

The first time Sebastian saw her was at the train station, just the night before.

The whistle of the late-night train had woken him up, and he kicked the covers off of his legs, running to the train stop, hoping to catch a glimpse of the passing train. He was surprised to see that, not only had the train stopped, but that someone – a girl, had stepped off, with four suitcases.

She was short, no taller than five feet, with long, purple hair. She had brown skin, much of which she was showing off in a pair of short-shorts, and a tank top. Not that he blamed her, it was the middle of summer, and it was equal parts hot _and_ humid.

Waiting at the train station for her was Farmer Castillo, the old guy that worked at the farm to the west of town.

 _Is she his daughter?_ Sebastian thinks to himself, _No, his wife passed away a few years ago. And she’s so young. Maybe she’s his granddaughter? What is she doing here? In the dead of night? With school starting tomorrow?_

Not wanting to get caught spying on them, Sebastian quickly turns around and heads home. News travels fast in Pelican Town, so he figured all his questions would be answered soon.

The second time he saw her, she was at the front of the class, introducing herself. Her voice was kind of odd, still childish but with womanly undertones trying to break through.

“I’m Rey,” She says, lacking the shy demeanor that most new students had, “I’m from Zuzu City, but I came here to finish out my last year of high school.”

Haley rose her hand from the middle of the classroom, popping a pink bubble of gum before she speaks, “Why would you leave Zuzu City to come here? That’s kinda stupid.”

“Sorry kid, you gotta be at least a level five friend before you can unlock my tragic backstory,” Rey grins, earning an eye roll from Haley, “Can I sit down now?”

The teacher nods at the new girl, gesturing to the class. She sits down in the only desk available, right next to Sebastian, at the back corner of the class. He turns his head to the side, making sure she saw that he was visibly ignoring her.

It wasn’t everyday that they got a new student at Calico High, much less one who was a closed book. She was cute too, with big brown eyes, long black eyelashes, and a body that was finalizing its development of womanly features. It wouldn’t take long for Rey to assimilate herself into the _in_ crowd, with the likes of Alex and Haley, so he wouldn’t even bother getting to know her.

At least, that was the plan, until the third time he saw her.

It was lunch time, and he and Sam were sitting at their usual table, on the far side of the cafeteria, expertly out of the radar of every clique in the school. They usually got there before Abigail, so it wasn’t a surprise that she showed up a little later than usual. What _was_ surprising was seeing her locking arms with Rey.

“Hey guys, this is Rey,” Abigail says, introducing her new friend, “She’s in my art class and she’s new. Rey, Sam is the blond and Sebastian is the other guy.”

“The other guy? Thanks.” Sebastian grimaces.

“Hey, we have homeroom together, right?” Rey asks, “We sit next to each other.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Abigail sat down across the Sam and Sebastian, gesturing for Reyto sit next to her. Rey follows suit, gently placing her tray of mediocre lunch food on the table next to Abigail’s.

Sebastian was surprised to see Abby take such a liking to someone so fast. When Sam transferred to their middle school, it took almost half the year for Abby to stop treating him like an idiot. She still does sometimes.

“I love your hair,” Abigail tells her new friend, “I wish I could dye my hair, I hate my natural hair color.”

Sebastian didn’t get Abigail sometimes. She was so cute, her slightly wavy brown hair framed her face perfectly. He would fantasize about her sitting next to him, leaning against him, and he would lay his cheek on the top of her head, smelling the minty scent of her shampoo. He only knew what kind of shampoo she used because he had to use the bathroom at her house, once and he forgot his phone in the other room, he wasn’t, like, a creep or anything like that.

“Why don’t I come over and help you dye it?” Rey asks, “You live in Pelican Town, don’t you?”

Abigail has a puzzled look on her face, “Yeah, do you? I’ve never seen you around, which would be impossible since we live in a town of, like, forty.”

Sebastian tries not to be too obvious about his eavesdropping. He knows Sam’s talking to him about some riff he taught himself on the new guitar, and he nods along, but he’s not really paying attention.

“I just moved in last night, caught the midnight train,” Rey answers, “I’m living with my grandpa on Zephyr Farm.”

“You’re Farmer Castillo’s granddaughter?” Abby asks in disbelief, “I overheared my mom talking to Sam’s mom about you! Is it true that your dad kicked you out for fist-fighting your stepmom, and that’s why you live with your grandpa?”

“Is that what people are saying?”

“That’s what Mom is saying,” Sam butts in, scratching the back of his head, “She kinda tends to listen to parts of gossip, and fills in the blanks herself.”

“Don’t deflect!” Abigail says, playfully slamming her fists on the table, “Can you confirm or deny the rumors?”

“I’m going to deny them,” Rey says, shaking her head, “And I don’t really wanna talk about it.”

“Hey, that’s cool, we respect that. Right, _Abby_?” Sam asks.

Abigail rolls her eyes, nodding.

“So, lemme tell you about this cool new game Sebastian and I found at Gamepop!” Sam changes the subject, “It’s called The Solarion Chronicles, and...”

Sebastian doesn’t say much, but he can’t help but watch Rey. The way her purple lips form a natural pout, and how when she smiles, her whole face crinkles. She was interesting, somehow managing to be a closed book while also wearing her heart on her sleeve. She was probably the most expressive person he’s ever seen in his life.

“So, is that what you guys do for fun out here?” She asks, smirking mischievously, “Play tabletop games?”

“Are you looking for fun or trouble?” Abigail asks, sticking her tongue out.

“I didn’t know there was a difference.”

“Actually,” Sam says, lowering his voice, “My parents are going out of town for the weekend, and it just so happens to be my birthday. I was just gonna have Sebastian and Abby come over, but you can come too.”

Sebastian frowns. He was looking forward to going over to Sam’s for the weekend, it was a break from being at home, where he was overshadowed by Maru, the kid genius. It was also a chance to get even closer to Abigail. With Rey there, she would definitely overshadow him _and_ hog all of Abigail’s attention. She was smitten with the new girl.

“Would that be okay with everyone?” Rai asks, looking between Sebastian and Abigail.

“Of course it is, right, Sebby?” Abigail says, smiling wide. He couldn’t disappoint her.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Should I bring anything?” Rey asks.

“Just yourself,” Sam says, smiling sweetly.

“Any also, maybe, some of Farmer Castillo’s famous Zephyr Beer?” Abigail adds, innocently, “If you could.”

“I’ll see what I can sneak out of Pawpaw’s basement.”

“Don’t do anything that could get you in trouble,” Sam says, concern in his voice.

“I won’t, I promise,” She insists, trying to put Sam at ease.

That interaction direct segued into the eleventh time Sebastian saw her. (The fourth time he saw her was on the bus back to Pelican Town. The fifth was on the bus back to school the next day, then at homeroom, then at lunch, and so on and so forth until Friday night.)

As he was walking to Sam’s house, his backpack packed for the night, he saw her, walking around the town’s plaza, looking like a lost kitten. A part of him wanted to just walk passed her, pretending he didn’t see her.

But the small conscious he had wouldn’t let him.

“You lost?” He asks, as he approaches her.

Her face lights up when she sees him, happy to see a familiar face. “All these houses look the same to me! And I haven’t left the farm at all, unless it’s for school. I’ve been so busy unpacking that I just don’t have the time.”

“Yeah, whatever. Come on,” Sebastian says, gesturing for Rey to follow him. She does, trotting along happily beside him.

“You don’t talk much,” She comments.

“Very observant.”

“Why not?”

“Not much to say.”

“Apparently,” She huffs, “Do you not like me?”

“I don’t even _know_ you.”

“Hey, five words, that’s a record.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes, “Fuck off.”

Rey smiles, knowing that, even though his words are harsh, he probably doesn’t one hundred percent mean it.

“Hey, you like Abby, right?”

Sebastian doesn’t say anything, his face turning red from embarrassment. She mutters a “thought so,” at her confirmed suspicion. She’s quiet for the rest of their short trip, something that Sebastian is grateful for, until the very last corner the have to turn before they’re on Willow Lane.

“I have an idea!” Rey announces, stepping in front of Sebastian, blocking the way.

“Do you make a big scene every time you have an idea?” He asks, flatly.

“Only when it’s a good one,” She says, “And this brain baby of mine is the best idea I’ve ever had.”

There’s a moment of silence between them.

“Are you going to tell me your idea or not?” Sebastian asks, annoyed.

“Well, I mean, if you’re going to beg like that,” She grins, “I would love to. You see, you’ve got it bad for Abby. You look at her with this dopey look on your face and a twinkle in your eye. It’s cute.”

“I’m losing interest fast,” Sebastian says, crossing his arms.

“I promise, you’re gonna love this,” She says, “You see, I think Sam is cute, like, really cute. He’s really funny and I’ve always been a sucker for skaters. The thing is, I get really nervous just thinking about being alone with him. And I know you get nervous around Abby too, cause otherwise you would’ve told her how you feel. Now, here’s my idea: you help me get close to Sam, I help you ask out Abby.”

Sebastian didn’t want to admit it, but Rey was very right. He’s liked Abigail since the fifth grade, but every time he tries to tell her how he feels, he starts sputtering like an old car. Abigail’s as oblivious as she is beautiful, so she thought that Sebastian was just incredibly awkward sometimes. There was no way that he could convey his feelings to her on his own. He needed divine intervention.

“You think you can get close enough to Abigail to help me?” He asks, trying not to sound as interested as he was.

“Abby and I are friends,” Rey says, “It’s not like I’m using her, I genuinely like her. And, from what it sounds like, she really likes you too. I just think I need to give her a little nudge.”

After a moment of reluctance, Sebastian agrees to work with her, “How do you suppose we start this operation?”

“Easy,” Rey says, swinging her backpack to the front of her body. She unzips it and leans forward, showing Sebastian what she was packing: four bottles of Zephyr Beer. He gulps nervously—he’s never drank before.

There’s only one thing he’s absolutely sure of: Rey is going to be a whole lot of trouble.


	2. When We Were Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian comes to a realization after a night of reminiscing about The Emo Trinity's past

“There you guys are,” Sam says as Sebastian and Rey walk through the door, “What took so long? And why are you together?”

“Is this, like, a walk-of-shame type thing?” Abigail teases.

Sebastian’s face turns scarlet, but Rey is unaffected, waving her hand like she’s shooing away the idea. “No way. I got lost trying to find this house, and we bumped into each other. He helped me find the way.”

“Cute,” Abigail says, “Sebastian to the rescue.”

Sebastian shrugs, “It’s not a big deal. There’s only, like, five streets in town. I’m not sure how someone can get lost.”

“It was my first time in town!” Rey defends herself, “And at night! There’s only, like, three streetlights, how am I supposed to see anything?”

“She’s got a point,” Sam says, “When I moved here, it was so different from Zuzu City, I kept getting lost.”

Rey smiles, the familiar kindling of innocent infatuation burns slight in her chest. Sam just _got_ her.

“Yeah, until Penny gave you a personal tour. That’s when you developed your all-consuming love for her, right?” Abigail says.

Sam’s cheeks turn pink, but he still smiles wide, unashamed, “No, I developed it the first time I ever looked at her.”

Rey feels like her stomach is going to fall out of her butt. She looks over at Sebastian who gives her a small shrug. What could he say?

Everyone knows that Sam has a thing for Penny. He was always finding reasons to talk to her, like asking her to tutor him or asking for her opinion on a new piece he wrote. She always smiles, entertaining him, but no one was really sure if she liked him back. She was nice to everyone.

Sam disappears into the kitchen, and Abigail takes a seat on the loveseat on the left side of the living room. Sebastian moves to sit next to her, but she beckons for Rey. She shoots him an apologetic look before sitting next to Abigail.

He really didn’t get it – what did Abigail find so fascinating about this girl? He sits down on the blue couch next to them. He watches as the two girls interact, noticing the way Abigail bats her eyelashes, and smiles wide, and laughs. It’s not her usual, deep-belly laugh, but a light, airy, almost cutesy laugh. He’s never heard her laugh like that.

“Right, Sebastian?”

Sebastian is pulled out of his thoughts by Abigail’s question, the two girls waiting for his answer.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” He admits.

“Always zoning out,” Abigail tells Rey, who just smiles and nods, “I was telling her about when we first met. Our parents were talking by the lake, and we were running around, chasing frogs. How I slipped and fell in the water and you grabbed my hand and saved me. The water was freezing.”

“Your parents still blame me for that,” Sebastian comments, smiling slightly.

“They do not!” Abigail protests.

“It’s been, like, ten years and they still bring it up. Your parentals know how to do two things: run a shop and hold a grudge.”

“Oh, like _you’re_ one to talk!” Abigail retorts, “You still talk about the community service incident.”

Rey grins, enjoying the back and forth between Abigail and Sebastian. They really were cute together – Sebastian actually talked to her, instead of grunting out answers. She supposes that that’s something that happens when you fall in love with a friend – chemistry is natural, conversation effortless.

“What are you guys talking about?” Sam asks, finally returning from the kitchen. He’s somehow carrying four mugs of beer. He hands the two mugs in one hand to Rey and Abigail, then one to Sebastian, who takes it with shaky hands, and sits next to his best friend on the couch.

“We’re reminiscing,” Abigail answers, “Telling Rey some stories from when we were kids.”

“Did I miss the community service incident story?” Sam smiles, taking a sip of his beer. It’s bitter, but he doesn’t hate it. Every Friday night, Kent insists on sharing a beer with his oldest son. At first it was the most disgusting thing he’d ever had to drink, but as the Fridays passed, he had grown used to, almost fond of, the taste.

“No, Sebastian was just about to tell it, weren’t you?” Abigail says, egging him on.

Sebastian shakes his head, a wry smile on his face, “I hate you guys.”

“Come on, I wanna know what happened!” Rey says, hating the anticipation.

Sebastian sighs, deciding to cave and tell the story. Rey scoots closer to the edge of her seat, excited to listen.

“Sam moved to town back in seventh grade,” Sebastian begins, “and Abigail had the _biggest_ crush on him.”

Rey looks over at Abigail and she gives her a guilty smile.

“She invited him to sit with us at our table during lunch, and dragged him along every time we hung out,” Sebastian continues, “And occasionally, we would come here, to his house, and just sit around and watch him skate. One day, we were out by the community center, and Sam was trying to grind on the wooden fence. Because he’s, in fact, a dumbass.”

“You could do it on Anthony Eagle’s Skate Master game,” Sam says, in his defense, “I thought that life could imitate art.”

“It could not,” Sebastian pushes on, “So, Smartass Sam keeps trying to grind on the fence, and he manages to get his board on the fence, but because it was, in fact, wood, the entire fence collapsed. Not just one side, no, the _entire_ perimeter of the fence fell over. Of course, Mayor Lewis was nearby, and by the time he stomped his way over to us, Abigail and Sam ditched me, and I got an earful and a half from the old man. He made me do community service to make up for destruction of city property.”

“Oh,” Rey says, disappointed, “Is that it?”

Abigail giggles, “Oh, no. That’s just the beginning.”

“Anyways, my mom is _livid_. She can’t believe that I could be so disrespectful, and Demetrius is there, right next to her, nodding along, wearing that smug look on his face. She gave me a blueprint on how to fix and properly paint a fence. It took me three days to build the fence, my hands were all blistered and swollen from getting smashed by the damn hammer and penetrated by splinters. Abigail and Sam were, of course, nowhere to be seen, until the last day of my community service,” Sebastian pauses to glare at the two of them. “She tells me ‘Oh, Sebastian, we’re so sorry. Let us paint the fence for you, you just go home’. And so, of course I do. Fast forward to the next morning, my mom is banging on my bedroom door, demanding I open up. I jump out of bed and open the door, and there, next to my mom, is Mayor Lewis, his face red as hell and he’s _fuming_. Apparently, instead of painting the fence, I decided it would be better to paint a giant, white dick on the side of the community center. My mom and Mayor Lewis made me paint the entire community center, supervising me the entire fucking time. And where were Abigail and Sam?”

Abigail rolls her eyes, “You have to understand, Rey. Sam and I bonded when we left Sebastian for dead. We shared a tender kiss, which lead to a week of awkward make-out sessions.”

Sam nods, agreeing, “It was fun while it lasted, but we realized that we’d rather be friends.”

“Besides, we both had braces and we got out wires caught a few times,” Abigail chuckles, “It was _not_ worth it. Sam wasn’t the best kisser.”

Sam looks at Abigail, obviously offended, “Excuse me. It’s not like you were Queen of the Tongue Dance.”

“At least I know I’ve gotten better! Unlike _you!”_

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”

Rey and Sebastian look at each other, both of them equally uncomfortable with the events that were transpiring before them. They watch, helplessly, as Abigail pushes herself up off the loveseat, and makes her way over to where Sam sits, straddling his legs between her knees. Sebastian scoots over, almost to the point of hanging over the arm of the couch. He looks over at the coffee table in the middle of the room, noting that Abigail’s mug was completely empty.

“Get ready, sk8r boi,” Abigail says, “I’m about to give you the best goddamn kiss you’ve ever had in your life.”

And before either Sebastian and Rey could shield their eyes, Abigail was smashing her mouth against Sam’s. Despite both of them being very cute people, the sight of them kissing was horrific. It was like seeing an animal with the head of a horse and the body of a duck – an absolute abomination.

After what seems like an eternity, the two of them pull apart.

“So, whaddya think?” Abigail asks.

“You’ve somehow gotten better _and worse_ at kissing in the past six years,” Sam says, stifling a laugh.

Abigail punches him gently, before climbing off of him and rejoining Rey on the couch.

“Did you enjoy the show?” She jokes, nudging her friend.

“It was about as fun as teaching myself how to use a tampon,” Rey says, dryly. Both boys visibly cringe at her choice of words, but Abigail laughs that light, airy laugh that Sebastian just can’t get used to.

As the night goes on, Rey pulls out the beer from her backpack, eliciting cheers from Sam and Abigail. Sebastian isn’t as excited, he wasn’t a fan of the beer Sam had given him, but he didn’t want to be the only loser that wouldn’t drink. So, they drank and played Journey of the Prairie King and Sam showed them a new song he was working on. Abigail tried telling a scary story, but she hiccuped in the middle of the climax, and instead of screaming in terror, the four of them were howling with laughter.

In the middle of the chaos, an odd feeling settles in the pit of Rey’s stomach. She’d never had a night like this before, where she was just hanging out with her friends, laughing over stupid shit. In Zuzu City, all her friends wanted to do was go to parties and drink and take pictures. None of them had stories from when they were younger, there was no reminiscing, because the friendship was never that deep.

For the first time, Rey felt like she finally had friends.

“Oh shit,” Abigail whispers, looking at her phone, “I gotta get home before my mom realizes that I’m gone.”

“Do you need me to walk you home?” Sebastian asks, hoping she’ll say yes.

“Would you mind?” She asks, “And after you walk me home, could you walk Rey home? I don’t want her walking that road alone.”

Rey, sensing that Sebastian really wanted the alone time with Abigail, shakes her head, “It’s okay, really. I can make it home by myself.”

“Are you sure?” Abigail asks, worried.

Before Rey can answer, Sebastian speaks up, “No, I’ll walk you home too. I’d rather you be safe.”

“What a gentleman,” Sam grins, “Hurry back, I wanna play Mega Melee Bros. Bye Abby, Bye Rey.”

“Thanks for having me over,” Rey says, bowing slightly. It was kind of lame, but it was a habit her parents drilled into her growing up.

“It was my pleasure,” Sam smiles, and she can feel her cold heart melt within her chest. His smile was infectious in the best way.

The walk to Abigail’s house wasn’t too far, but it took a lot longer than it should’ve because she _insisted_ that they walked as quietly as possible, so as to not wake up her parents. Even though, unless they had super sonar hearing, it would be impossible for them to hear the three of them walking down the road.

Finally, they arrive at the big, general shop. Abigail gives Sebastian a big hug, and the smell of her shampoo invades his senses. It’s a welcome embrace and Sebastian can’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around her, squeezing gently. Abigail lets go of Sebastian and reaches for Rey. Instead of hugging her though, he pulls her in for a chaste kiss.

Rey is stunned and Sebastian is mortified.

“Good night, guys,” Abigail whispers, quietly unlocking the door. She steps inside and they can faintly see the outline of her body as she maneuvers around the shop. When she’s successfully made it through her home door, they decide to head to Zephyr Farms.

“So, do you feel left out, being the only one that Abigail _didn’t_ kiss tonight?” Rey teases.

Sebastian lets out a small, “Hmph.”

“Geez, are we really back to the one-word replies?” She asks, annoyed, “I thought we got a little closer tonight.”

“Sorry, I just realized something,” Sebastian says, obviously mulling something over in his head. He doesn’t say much else on the short walk to the farm.

Even though it’s dark, he can see that the farm is flourishing and well taken care of. It has that smell that all farms do, of manure and hay, but it’s not an unfamiliar smell out in the boonies.

Farmer Castillo’s house is big, much bigger than an old man who lived alone until recently, needs it to be. Sebastian supposes that it’s not really a fair thought. At some point, Farmer Castillo lived with his wife and his four children, so the big home was necessary.

Now, it just seemed kind of sad.

“Thank you for walking me home,” Rey says, awkwardly, “Are you going to make it home okay?”

Sebastian nods, “Yeah, I’ll just take the back road. It’s not that far of a walk to my house.”

“Okay, well, stay safe.” She turns around and begins fiddling with the lock to the house.

“Wait –” Sebastian blurts out, uncharacteristically desperate.

Rey faces him, her key still in the slit of the lock, “Yes?”

“Can I ask you something personal?” He asks, nervously.

“Depends,” She says, “What is it?”

“Do you think – nevermind,” He stops, “Forget it.”

“Come on, you have to tell me,” Rey pleads, her curiosity gnawing at the anticipation.

Sebastian chews the inside of his cheek, choosing his words very carefully, “When Sam first moved here, Abigail had a crush on him. She hung all over him, laughed extra hard at his jokes. Always wanted him around. And forced him to be a part of our group.”

Rey nods, “Yeah, you mentioned that earlier.”

“Yeah,” He says, shoving both this hands in the big pocket of his hoodie, “She’s doing again. With _you_.”

“Oh. _Oh._ ”

“Yeah,” Sebastian says, his voice both hurt and bitter, “That’s all. Good night.”

“Wait, Sebastian,” Rey calls out, stopping him from leaving, “You know, I’m not going to pursue her, right? I know you like her, and you’re my friend. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Sure,” Sebastian nods, before trying to leave again.

“Hey, I mean it!” She insists.

Sebastian looks at her, a tight frown on his face, “Sam said the same thing to me, all those years ago. Sorry, if I don’t believe you.”

Rey watches Sebastian as he walks away, disappearing into the night.

She can feel his heart breaking from once again losing the girl he loves to someone he thought was a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a hard time fleshing out Rey, as her own person. I'm hoping that I'll have an easier time in future chapters. Uggghhh.


	3. Guys Being Dudes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Sam have a confrontational heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm all dialogue and no action no background nothing

Sebastian holds down a key on his synth, while tapping out a melody with his other hand, across the board. It’s pseudo-psychedelic, catchy, and easy for Sam to follow with his guitar.

As confident as Sam is with his guitar, he couldn’t deny that Sebastian was better with his synth. For now, their two-man band would lead their instrumentals with their keyboard, not their guitar. It was only temporary, anyways. Once Sam could shred on his guitar, he would take the lead, and Sebastian would support.

“Man, you’re killing it,” Sam grins, “How’d you get so good at playing?”

Sebastian shrugs, “When Maru was born, my mom wanted to get me something to occupy my time. She thought I’d want, like, a Gamestation, but I begged for the synth. Been playing ever since.”

“You’re basically a wizard on it, Seb,” Sam says, and Sebastian blushes slightly at his praise. He wasn’t used to getting complimented on his music – Demetrius called it noise and his mom never really said anything.

“You know, when we start playing shows, we’re gonna get so many chicks.”

Sam has that mischievous look in his eye that meant the two of them were in for some trouble. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but mischief was definitely his endgame.

He removes the strap of his guitar from his shoulder and gently places his baby in its stand. “She” is a shiny red color, with a gorgeous neck, and vintage design. When Sam is practicing alone in his room, he calls her by her name: Penny.

“Is that how you’re finally gonna win over Penny McGintley?” Sebastian asks, crossing his arms, “Cause I heard that guys in bands are her type.”

“I’m gonna win her over by serenading her with a song I wrote for her,” Sam says, matter-of-factly.

“Holy shit, you wrote a song for her?” Sebastian nearly guffaws, “Please, please tell me how it goes. I’m begging you.”

Sam can’t resist showing off a bit. He gets on his hands and knees, reaching around under his bed, pulling out a black composition notebook. On the front, written in his sloppy scrawl, reads _Sam’s Music Notebook!!! Do NOT open!!!_ Although Sebastian can’t see what’s written, he can see that there is a _lot_ written in the book as Sam flips through. Finally, he stops, and clears his throat, ready to show Sebastian his song.

“Red lips sweet as candy, we walk on the beach, warm and sandy.

I take your hand and hold it in mine, our shaking fingers intertwined.

Our lips meet and your tongue is sweet,

Here with you, I feel complete.”

There’s a silence between them, before Sebastian speaks up.

“That’s it?”

Sam shrugs, “Well yeah, it’s a work-in-progress. What do you think so far?”

His best friend nods in head, “I man, it’s not bad. I’m sure once it’s done, it’ll be good. I’d probably fuck you, if I were Penny.”

“Please, you’d fuck me either way.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Sebastian grins.

This is probably why people at school thought they were gay. But are you really best friends if people _don’t_ think you’re gay for each other? Not that Sebastian, or Sam, cared what other people thought. Which isn’t to say Alex Mullner’s occasional homophobic slur wasn’t annoying, but they didn’t let it phase them.

Sebastian finally steps away from the synth, and takes a seat on Sam’s carpeted floor, crossing his legs, and leaning back on his arms.

“So,” He says, “Why Penny?”

“Why Abby?” Sam says, defensively.

Sebastian grins, “I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

“Fine,” Sam agrees, “Penny is just so sweet. And kind. And I know I’m kinda slow in school, but she’s so patient and she never makes me feel dumb. When I tell her about how much I love music, she doesn’t say the same shit everyone else does. She’s very supportive about it. She’s… my dream girl. Plus, all that sappy shit aside, she’s got the nicest legs I’ve seen – nicer than Haley’s, and _she’s_ a cheerleader, and she’s always wearing those hot secretary skirts.”

“Yoba, dude, put away your boner, would you?”

Sam looks down, worried for a second, until he realizes that Sebastian is just teasing him, “Fuck you, man.”

Sebastian laughs with Sam. They’re teenagers, after all, and nothing is funnier than an old fashion boner joke.

Suddenly, a memory from the night before slithers its way into Sebastian’s mind. Rey, standing in front of him, her hands on her hips, propositioning him; he helps her win over Sam, she helps him with Abby. Even though Abby seemed to have a crush on the new girl, maybe setting Sam up with her would be for the best. Sam and Rey get together, Abby will drop her crush, and Sebastian can finally make his move.

“What about Rey?”

Sam looks at Sebastian, confused and surprised.

“What about her?”

Sebastian feels so embarrassed, he’s never asked Sam anything like this before. He’s never done anything like this before, getting information for a girl, trying to hook Sam up with someone.

“Do you, you know, think she’s cute?”

Sam narrows his eyes, suspicious of his best friend, but he answers honestly, “Yeah. I mean, you’ve seen her. Purple hair, big eyes, big tits. She’s cool. Why?”

Sebastian shrugs. What’s he supposed to say?

“Oh, I see,” Sam says, nodding his head, “you _like_ her.”

Sebastian frowns, feeling like he’s gonna puke. How dare he? How dare he imply something so _vile_?

“No, I don’t!” He insists. It’s a weak argument, but it’s all he has.

“That’s why you’ve been gawking at her since she moved here!” Sam says, his voice picking up volume at his false realization.

In Sebastian’s defense, Abigail has been hanging all over Rey for the past week. Maybe, when he was throwing lovelorn glances her way, Sam mistook them as meant for Rey. Which begs the question of why Sam was even looking at Sebastian so much anyways.

“I’m just observant,” Sam says, practically reading Seb’s mind, “It’s a good thing, maybe now you’ll finally get over Abby. You’ve been in love with her since I’ve known you.”

Sam’s words stab Sebastian in the stomach. Of course, Sebastian had kept his feelings about Abigail to himself, never saying anything out loud. But for Rey to notice within a week of moving to town and Sam mentioning it so casually, as though it were common knowledge… Was it common knowledge? Did everyone know that Sebastian is in love with her?

Did she?

Sebastian chews on his bottom lip, and starts picking at the green carpet of Sam’s room. There’s a question eating him up inside, one he didn’t want to ask, but he knew that if he and Sam were to stay friends.

“Why did you date her then? Back when you first moved here?” He asks, his voice low like he’s embarrassed.

Sam shrugs, “Cause she was cute and I was new and she wanted to date.”

Sebastian can’t really blame him. If Abigail wanted to date _him,_ he’d say yes in a heartbeat.

“Why did you kiss her the other night?” Sebastian asks, “If you really like Penny, you wouldn’t be kissing other girls. Especially girls you _know_ your friend likes.”

“Dude, it was playful. I’m not stressing over it, neither is she, and neither should you,” Sam says, justifying his actions, “It’s not like Abigail and I are secretly dating or anything, but we do have our own friendship. She doesn’t get mad when you and I hang out.”

“That’s different. You and I don’t make out when we hang.”

“Hey, I’m game if you are,” Sam says, jokingly, trying to break the tension between him and his best friend. He knew that someday Sebastian was gonna ask about him and Abigail, but he figured it would’ve happened a lot sooner, not almost six years later. It wasn’t a big deal for Sam, could it really still be that big of a deal to Sebastian?

“Seb, why are you bringing all of this up now?” Sam asks, in a rare moment of seriousness, “It’s been years.”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian answers, slowly, “I really don’t. I guess, it’s just been something I’ve been kind of holding against you all this time.”

“I wish you had said something sooner,” Sam says.

Sebastian sighs, “Me too.”

“You know, the Dance of The Moonlight Jellies is coming up,” Sam says, “why don’t you ask Rey to go with you?”

The Dance of The Moonlight Jellies was special in Pelican Town for two reasons. The first, was for science, of course. The second, was that it was kind of a romantic night. It was a tradition of sorts to ask someone that you’re romantically interested in to go with you. Standing together on the pier, above the ocean, letting the warm ocean breeze caresses the both of you, watching the Moonlight Jellies light up and dance beneath the water, said more than simply asking someone if they would be yours.

Sebastian scrunches up his face, “I really don’t like her that way.”

“Then ask Abby. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

“I’m not.”

“Don’t be such a wuss,” Sam says, “Take a risk once in a while.”

“It’s not about that,” Sebastian protests, weakly, “Not totally. Not that I would ask her anyways, cause there’s always a chance that she could turn me down.”

“Right,” Sam rolls his eyes, “She can’t turn you down if you never ask her out.”

“That _aside_ ,” Sebastian says, “I think Abigail likes someone else.”

“Like who? The only people she hangs out with are you and me. And Rey, now.” Sebastian shoots Sam a look, and realization washes over him, “ _Oh._ I didn’t even know that Abigail liked girls.”

Sebastian blushes slightly, “Neither did I. I mean, she’s never said anything explicitly, but she’s been doing all that shit girls do when they like someone. The fake laughing, hanging all over Rey, forcing her into our group. Like she did with you.”

Sam nods, “Well, the good thing is that whatever she feels for Rey is probably just as fleeting as her feelings for me were.”

“So, what should I do?”

“Well, why don’t you try to find someone who will ask Rey to go with them to the Dance?” Sam suggests, “Maybe if she knows Rey’s going with someone else, she’ll go with someone else. The problem is, she’s only been here a week. I doubt anyone is planning on asking her to go.”

“What if we get her to ask someone?” Sebastian asks, finally seeing a tiny glimmer of hope in the abyss that is his unrequited love for Abigail.

Sam nods, “That could work. You don’t happen to know if she’s already got her eye on someone, do you?”

Sebastian scratches the back of his head, “Well, actually...”


	4. 2nd Sucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam hurts Rey's feelings.  
> Sebastian surprises everyone, including himself.

It was a fucked up web Sebastian was beginning to weave.

He casually mentioned to Sam that if _he_ asked Rey to go to see the Moonlight Jellies, she would say yes. But Sam said he would only consider asking Rey, if Penny said no. The only real way to get sweet Penny to say no to Sam, would be to get her to say yes to someone else first. The only person that Penny would say yes to, other than Sam, would be the guy that _all_ the girls would say yes to. That guy was loved by all, except Sebastian.

For Alex Mullner, the feeling was mutual.

So, Sebastian being in the boy’s locker room after gridball practice was a true testament to how much Sebastian liked Abigail. It’s warm and musty and, worst of all, it was filled with naked dudes.

“What do you want, Waters?” Alex asks, a towel wrapped around his waist. He was fresh from the showers, his hair still dripping with water.

Sebastian grimaces, he hated being called by his last name, “I need a favor from you. I need you to take someone to the Moonlight Jellies thing?”

“You’re not gonna say that you want me to take you, are you?” Alex says, “Cause I’m not into guys, and even if I were, I’d be into guys more like me and definitely less like you.”

Sebastian bites back a quip, not wanting to fuck up any chance he had at Alex doing him this favor. He hated the fact that the fate of his whole plan rested on Alex’s admittedly well-muscled shoulders.

“I need you to take Penny,” Sebastian says, bluntly.

“What? No way,” Alex crosses his arms, “I’m taking Haley. Shit like that always gets her panties wet.”

“Penny might put out,” Sebastian’s voice goes a little higher as he lies.

Alex shakes his head, “Penny isn’t the type of girl to put out. She’s the type of girl that makes you buy her a promise ring and gives you an over-the-pants tug job.”

“That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Sorry dude,” Alex says, “I’m not into Penny, and we’re not friends, so I’m not dying to do you any favors.”

“What if I do you a favor?”

Alex stops pulling his shirt on, mid-motion, and smiles wickedly, “I’m listening.”

“Homework,” Sebastian offers, “I’ll do your homework every day for the next week.”

“The next month!” Alex counteroffers.

Sebastian mulls the idea around in his head. Alex lived up to the jock stereotype: good at sports, bad at academics. He was in normal classes, his work would be cake for Sebastian, who was enrolled in almost exclusively advanced classes.

The pros outweigh the cons.

“Fine. A month.”

“You got yourself a deal, Waters!” Alex holds his hand out and Sebastian cautiously shakes it with his own, feeling like he had just made a deal with the devil.

 

* * *

 

All eyes were on Haley as she watched, her jaw practically hitting the floor, Alex ask Penny to The Dance of the Midnight Jellies at lunch time the next day.

Alex being Alex couldn’t just lean against her locker and ask her, like every other person did, no – he brought her a bouquet of poppy’s, her favorite flower, and asked her in the middle of the cafeteria, his voice loud and drawing attention.

Penny’s face turned red, and she was as happy was she was surprised. She nodded enthusiastically before hugging Alex, accepting his invitation. They even held hands as they walked to the same lunch table. Sebastian frowns deeply, the words “over-the-pants tug job” swimming around in his head.

Haley stormed off, much to the surprise of no one. Of course, everybody thought that Alex and Haley would go together. They were practically attached by their hips, lips, and other tips. As soon as she left the cafeteria, a swell of whispers fell over the room. It was a garbled chorus of gossip and rumor.

“Huh,” Abigail says, popping a chip in her mouth, “I didn’t even know Alex liked Penny like that.”

“Neither did I,” Sam says dejectedly.

Sebastian felt bad for making his best friend feel so shitty, but he was trying to look on the bright side. With Penny out of the way, Sam could take Rey. With Rey out of the way, Sebastian could take Abigail.

“Sorry Sam,” Rey offers her condolences, “It sucks seeing the person you like with someone else. Does she know you like her?”

Sam pushes the food on his plate around with his fork, “I mean, it’s not like I made it a secret or anything. She _has_ to know.”

“Everybody knows,” Abigail grins, trying to tease Sam into a good mood. It wasn’t working.

“I could be wrong, and maybe it’s not my place to say, but it kinda seems like –” Rey pauses, “Like she kept you on her leash, just in case Alex never asked her out.”

Sam inhales sharply and Abigail sucks her teeth, making an “oooh” sound, like Rey’s words were intended to hurt. Sebastian himself feels like he’s taken a punch in the gut, even though he’s not sure why.

Maybe… Was _he_ on Abigail’s leash? Was she just leading him on until _she_ found someone better? Did she already?

He looks over at Rey, who is trying to comfort Sam. Next to her, Abigail is resting her head on her cheek, a sympathetic look on her face. It’s so obvious, Sebastian thinks, the three of them don’t even really bother to hide their feelings. How can they let themselves be so open? Especially Rey and Abigail.

Realistically, they had only been friends for little more than two weeks. How could they have developed crushes so fast, and be so unabashed about it?

Sebastian couldn’t even fathom acting such a way. He’s been in love with Abigail for as long as he could remember, and he was terrified that she would find out. Or rather, that she would reject him once she found out.

“I have an idea,” Abigail speaks up, her voice dragging Sebastian out of his thoughts, “Why don’t the four of us go together? As friends?”

“A group date?” Sam asks, “Only date-less losers go to dances with their friends.”

“Well, I’ve got some news for you,” Abigail says, “You are, in fact, a date-less loser.”

“Am not!”

“Are so!” She argues back, “We literally just watched your only potential date walk away with the most popular douche in school.”

“She wasn’t my only potential date,” Sam says, his voice wavering slightly. His blue eyes fall unto Rey, whose face turns red.

First, it seems like she’s only slightly embarrassed, with the way her cheeks turn pink. Until her jaw tenses and she clenches her fists, her brows knit together on her forehead. This was the first time that Sebastian, Sam, and Abigail had seen Rey mad. And it was like watching a volcano erupt – terrifying yet mesmerizing.

“I’m not your consolation prize,” She growls between gritted teeth. She pushes herself up, away from the table, not even bothering to grab her lunch tray. As she walks away, her steps heavy and angry, the rest of the group watches, unable to find the right things to say.

“Shit,” Sam sighs, his shoulders slumping, “That was shitty of me.”

“Kind of,” Abby agrees, refusing to baby him, “You basically told her ‘you’ll do’.”

Sam groans loudly and scratches viciously at his head, frustrated with the whole day. Of course he didn’t mean to hurt Rey’s feelings. _Ugh_ , why was he only good with words when it came to music, instead of when talking to another human being?

“I need to go talk to her,” He says, full of resolve, “I need to apologize.”

“I think if anyone should go, it’s me,” Abigail suggests, “I’m a girl, I’ll get her better. Besides, she probably doesn’t want to see your face.”

Sam’s face falls at her words, but he nods, recognizing that she’s probably right. Also, he didn’t want to admit it, but he was kind of scared of facing Rey right now. After seeing his mom go on a rampage when he was young, he developed an odd fear of angry women.

“Abby, you should stay and lecture Sam some more,” Sebastian says, “I’ll go talk to Rey.”

She narrows her eyes at Sebastian, suspicious of his motives. Whenever it was time to be a friend, like an actual friend, he had a tendency to push the task onto someone else. Sam was having issues with his dad? Abby can talk it out with him. Abby got into it with her controlling father? Let Sam take care of it. Sebastian wasn’t a talker – his idea of making them feel better was to go out and buy a bunch of cheap, glass plates, and break them.

“Why would _she_ talk to _you_?” Abigail asks, not bothering to hide the indignation in her voice.

“Because it would be one consolation prize talking to another,” Sebastian says firmly, even though his own words hurt him. He realizes how sad it is, that he would hypothetically be the consolation prize for Abby, who wanted to be with Sam’s consolation prize.

Abigail and Sam watch with wide eyes as Sebastian leaves their table.

“What the hell’s gotten into him?” Sam asks, genuinely confused.

“I don’t know,” Abigail whispers, laying her hand gently on her chest, “I didn’t know Sebastian was capable of caring about another person.”

 

* * *

 

Sebastian isn’t exactly sure why the fuck he insisted on being the one to console Rey. He didn’t particularly like her. They didn’t really get along. And he definitely wasn’t a person that natural friendship came easy too – this was definitely a job better suited for Abigail.

But as he entered the quad and laid his eyes on her, sitting at the base of a tall oak tree, he knew he had made the right call. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs, her eyes locked onto nothing in particular.

He sits down on the grass next to her, giving a small _oof_ as his ass hits the ground. Her brown eyes shift over to him, staring, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Are you done crying?” Sebastian asks, “Or should I come back in ten minutes?”

“I wasn’t crying,” Rey protests, her voice small, “I was having a temper tantrum.”

“Yeah, we know. ‘I’m not your consolation prize!’,” Sebastian makes his voice go as high as he can as he quotes her, “Very powerful words.”

“ _Yoba,_ did you just come here to make fun of me?”

“No, I came here to make you feel better,” Sebastian leans back on his arms and turns his head to look at Rey, “Am I doing a good job?”

Rey scoffs and shakes her head, “You’re doing fucking terrible. Is this your first time talking to another human person?”

“Kind of,” Sebastian says with a wry smile, “I’m bad at the talking and the communicating part of friendship.”

“So, you’re basically just bad at friendship?”

Rey doesn’t seem as upset anymore. She’s smiling now, resting her cheek on her folded arms. The air between them doesn’t feel as tense as it used to. He can’t help but wonder why.

“Yeah,” Sebastian admits, “But I’m trying to be better.”

“Why start now? With me?” She asks, lowering her eyes. Her long eyelashes cast shadows on the chubby apples of her cheeks. It looks like she has spider legs on her face, and Sebastian kind of digs it.

“Cause you seem like you need it the most.”

The sincerity of Sebastian’s sentiment caught the two of them off-guard. The words sort of tumbled out of his mouth, his brain not bothering to take the time to consider if saying them was even a good idea.

Maybe that was for the best.

“Thank you,” Rey says, her voice uncharacteristically tender.

“No problem,” Sebastian nods, “How would you feel about ditching school for the rest of the day and breaking some rocks at the quarry?”

“You had me at ditching school,” Rey grins.

Sebastian pushes himself up off the ground and dusts all the loose grass off of his pants. He then offers Rey his hand, to help pull her onto her feet. He can’t help but notice how small and delicate her hand looked in his.

All Sebastian could think about on their trip to the Quarry was how warm Rey’s hand was in his.

How could a touch that lasted all of ten seconds still linger on his skin?


	5. Trouble Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Rey reach friendship level 3 and thereby unlocking her tragic backstory

Sebastian watches both impressed and terrified as Rey lifts the rusty, old pickaxe over her head and swings, shattering the rock on the ground into a million pieces of rubble. He’s resting his chin on his hands, which were keeping his own pickaxe standing upright.

“Hey Rey,” He begins, “Can I ask you something?”

Her eyes dart over to him for a quick second, before they lock onto her next target: a vein with specks of copper peeking out.

“What’s up?” She asks, lifting her pickaxe to start again.

“Why did you move here?”

Rey freezes, her eyes going wide and her grip on the handle of her pickaxe loosening. The pick falls from her hand, and though she spins around to try and catch it, she misses, and it hits the ground with a heavy _THUD!_

“Shit! Sorry!” She says, “I didn’t mean to drop it.”

Sebastian shrugs, “Don’t worry about it. These pickaxes have been here forever. I’m surprised it didn’t break in half when you used it right now.”

Rey nods, pursing her lips. She gently kicks the dirt on the ground, feeling a little embarrassed and a little awkward. She didn’t want to talk about how she ended up in Pelican Town, living with her Pawpaw, but Sebastian went out of his way to make her feel better after what happened with Sam. He was trying to be her friend, so maybe she should try to return the favor.

“My mom died a year and a half ago in a car accident,” She begins, “My dad had to provide for me, and my twin siblings, by himself. I tried to help as much as I could, with, like, babysitting and stuff, but he eventually decided to hire a ‘nanny’. She was, like, not even twenty one! What did she know about taking care of kids – she was one!” Rey shakes her head, “Anyways, I caught her stealing money, and when I told my dad, told me to leave her alone. The day after that happened, I saw her rummaging through my mom’s old jewelry box. I… I lost my fucking mind. I jumped on top of her and I couldn’t stop swinging. Eventually, the cops showed up and pried me off of her. They asked her if she wanted to press charges, and you wanna know what she said?”

Sebastian shrugs, “Send this little psycho as far away from me as you can?”

She gives a somber laugh, “I wish. No, she said, ‘I’m not going to press charges against my future daughter-in-law!’”

“What the fuck?” Sebastian whispers.

Rey nods, “That’s exactly what I said. I screamed bullshit, but my dad finally told me that they were dating. In fact, she had actually only been our nanny for a week, before she quit, so they could date. Anyways, my dad told me that if I couldn’t behave, then _he_ would have no problem sending me away. I didn’t listen, I would sneak out and stay out late, anything to get away from dad and his succubus. Whenever I _had_ to be around them, I would try, try so hard not to lose my cool around her, but… One day, she showed up to a family dinner with my mom’s favorite necklace draped around her neck, and I attacked her again. So...”

“So, your dad sent you away,” Sebastian finished for her.

“Mmhm,” Rey confirms, “Now we’re caught up in real time.”

Sebastian rubs the back of his neck, “Yoba, I’m sorry, Rey. That sucks.”

“That sucks, the most empathetic statement of them all,” She smiles at him, “Thanks. Sorry, I lied, when Abigail asked why I moved, back when I first sat with you guys. I just didn’t want you to think I was some kind of psycho.”

Sebastian shakes his head, “I don’t think you’re a psycho. I think you’re just… a grieving child.”

She nods, “That’s exactly it. I just felt like my dad didn’t even _miss_ her, he just moved on so fast. It’s so disrespectful.”

Sebastian takes a moment to think, letting her words sink in. He understood exactly what she was going through. He just _got_ her, and if he opened up, she would probably _get_ him. If he could just peel back the layers of cynicism, just enough to let her in, he knew it could be cathartic, for both of them.

_Just tell her, you fucking wimp_.

“So, are you going to ask Abigail to the Jelly Belly Dance?” Rey asks, desperate to change the subject.

“It’s the Dance of the Midnight Jellies,” Sebastian corrects her, “And I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“Why not? No balls?” She teases him, sticking her tongue out.

“No,” He responds, seriously, “I think you might have been right about what you said at lunch. I think Abigail might be keeping me on her leash.”

“Well, _duh_. It’s so obvious.”

Sebastian’s face flushes, and he wants to grab Rey by her shoulders and shake her for being so smug, “Shut up!”

“For the record, I think you should ask her. Just put yourself out there and find out how she feels, that way you can stop obsessing over it.”

Sebastian doesn’t want to talk about this. He wants to talk about Rey and her dad – about him and his. His wanted to put his infatuation with Abigail on the back burner, and focus on how Rey was something better than a potential girlfriend.

She was a kindred spirit.

“Earth to Sebastian?” Rey waves her hand in front of his face.

Sebastian rolls his eyes, “Fine, why don’t we all go to the Midnight Jellies together like she wanted? Me, you, her, and Sam? If that’s okay with you.”

Rey pulls her lips into a tight line at the mention of Sam’s name, but only a moment later, she softens up.

“Yeah, okay. Then Sam and I will split off and leave you two alone,” Rey agrees, “Don’t blow your shot, Sebastian.”

“Thanks, Rey,” He says, genuinely.

Rey gives him a smile, wide and toothy, “I should be thanking you for bringing me here. You know, you’re not so bad at this whole friendship thing, when you actually try. You should try _more_.”

“I’ll try to try more.”

Sebastian’s words make Rey laugh, her whole face crinkling up. He wonders how long it’s been since she genuinely laughed like that.

He swears to make her do it more often.

* * *

 

Sebastian walks through the front door at precisely the same time he normally does, to avoid suspicion.

Unfortunately, his mom was the sharpest person he knew.

“Oh, there he is,” Robin says from behind her counter, “My handsome son, the apple of me eye.”

“That’s me,” He says, sarcastically, “Did you miss me?”

“Not as much as the school missed you,” She grins, smugly, “Apparently, you were a no-show after lunch. Where did you go?”

Sebastian knew better than to lie to his mother, “I hung out with a friend.”

“Now, Sebastian, don’t you lie to me,” Robin says, crossing her arms, “I called both Jodi and Caroline, and they both said that Sam and Abby were still in school. So, do you want to try again?”

“I’m not lying!” Sebastian protests, the volume of his voice catching Demetrius’ attention from the lab. The larger man walks over to where to where the commotion was, looking between his wife and his stepson.

“What’s going on here?” He demands.

“None of your business,” Sebastian sneers.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Sebastian,” Demetrius says, exaggerating each syllable in Sebastian’s name, something he knew infuriated him. It made him feel like a child.

“You two, please!” Robin says, trying to keep the two most important men in her life from each other’s throats.

The two of them look at each other, intense resentment settling thick in the air. They don’t say anything else, but they don’t stop glaring. That was as good as it was going to get.

“Now, Sebastian, would you mind telling me who you ditched school with today?” Robin asks, her voice calm and even, “Please, don’t lie to me this time.”

“Mom, I’m not lying,” He insists, “I… I went to hang out with Rey Castillo.”

“Castillo?” Robin asks, “As in Farmer Castillo’s granddaughter?”

Sebastian nods, “Yeah, that’s the one.”

Robin and Demetrius exchange looks, hers was one of worry and his was of suspicion. Sebastian knew what they were thinking, the same thing that Jodi and Caroline did: _Rey Castillo is nothing but trouble_. For some reason, it made his blood boil.

“I don’t know if you should be friends with that girl, Sebby,” Robin says gently, after a beat. She moves from behind her desk, standing only arm’s length away from her son.

“You don’t even know her,” He grumbles.

“We _know_ that she got kicked out of her parent’s house for fighting, and we _know_ that she ditched school with you,” Demetrius butts in, “Doesn’t seem like she’s a very good influence.”

“Oh, because you care _sooo_ much about me, right?” Sebastian rolls his eyes, “She’s just going through a tough time right now. She needed a friend, so I decided to be that friend.”

“Sweetie, I am so glad that you’re expanding your inner circle, but...”

“But what?”

Robin frowns, not wanting to hurt her son’s feelings. She just wants what’s best for her son, her wonderful but stubborn son.

“Please, just no more ditching. Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Thank you,” Robin smiles, trying to diffuse the situation, “Oh, and by the way, you’re grounded until Monday.”

“What?!”

* * *

 

“Pawpaw, I’m _hoooome_!” Rey says in a singsong voice, throwing her backpack on the floor next to her shoes.

“Welcome home, my dear,” He says from the kitchen, chopping up some vegetables. He’s got a pot of stew simmering in a big pot, the smell wafting throughout the house. _It smells like what mom used to make,_ she thinks sadly. “I heard you had quite the day today.”

She walks over to the kitchen and lifts the lid off the pot, watching the stew as it bubbles thickly. Her mouth waters. The food in Zuzu is fast and cheap, but trash compared to a home cooked meal.

“Yeah, I guess. I ditched my last few classes,” She responds honestly.

“Thank you for being honest.”

“I’m not going to lie, Pawpaw,” Rey smiles, “It was just this one time. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Farmer Castillo scratches at the scruff on his chin, “I’m trusting you, my dear. I won’t send you back to your father’s, but it just won’t do if I feel like I can’t trust my own granddaughter.”

Rey lays her head against her Pawpaw’s arm affectionately, “Thank you.”

The older man just nods, “Now, who did you ditch school with? I know you don’t know your way around town yet, much less the bus routes to and from the high school.”

“Sebastian.”

“Sebastian, Sebastian,” Farmer Castillo rolls the name around in his mouth, trying to place a face to the name, “The carpenter’s son?”

She nods, “That’s the one.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. I always tried to talk to that boy, but he never seemed to be one for words. Must like you something fierce,” he comments.

“We’re friends,” Rey says, “I was having a bad day and he thought it would cheer me up.”

“Did it?”

“It did. I even told him about what happened with Dad and that soul-sucking witch.”

Farmer Castillo looks at his daughter with surprise, “Did you really? I thought you wanted a clean slate.”

“He asked and I didn’t want to lie. Not to him,” She admits, her cheeks turning slightly pink, for some reason.

He nods, pleased with her answer, “That’s good. That boy could use somebody who’s been through the same things he has.”

Rey can physically feel her ears perk up, “What do you mean?”

Farmer Castillo sighs, knowing he shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t his business to spread the business of others. No, that was a job for Jodi or Caroline. He makes his way to the pot on the stove, stirring the stew gently– it was almost done.

“Pawpaw...” Rey whines, gently.

“I’ve said too much,” He says, somberly, “If you truly want to know, you can ask him yourself. But if you’re really friends with that boy, you’ll wait until he decides to tell you his story. Now, go sit at the table, dinner is ready.”

His granddaughter sighs, knowing that her wise, old Pawpaw was right. She sits at the little wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. In the center of the table was a small, skinny vase, that was home to one short sunflower. Sunflowers were her mother’s favorite.

“You know,” Farmer Castillo says, placing two bowls of stew onto the table, “When your father proposed to your mother, she said ‘no’, on account that she didn’t know how to cook. Said, she would be an unsuitable wife, an absolute failure. However, your Grams absolutely adored your mother, knew that our son would never find a better woman. So, she took your mother under her wing and taught her how to cook, the first lesson ever being stew.

“A few years back, when your Grams passed away from heart failure, I truly felt as though I was going to follow her to the afterlife. Couldn’t find the strength to go on without her, nope. One day, your parents came by, brought you and the twins along, to check up on me, and, well, truthfully dear, I told them to let me die. Your mother, that angel, made me the same stew that your Grams had taught her to make. I ate it and I felt your Gram’s love coming though the food, and I felt as though I was given a new lease on life. That day, your mother spent hours teaching me how to cook, every recipe that she was taught, that way I could always have your Gram’s cooking, even though she was no longer with me. Do you understand what I’m saying, my dear?”

Rey nods, trying to hide the wetness on the corners of her eyes. She takes a spoonful of stew and eats it, the savory flavor dancing around on her tongue. _It tastes just like mom used to make it._

“What I’m trying to say, my dearest Rey, is to clear your weekend calendar, because you’re going to spend all weekend with me, learning how to cook.”

“What?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 much dialogue 2 much exposition


	6. Dance Dance (Of the Moonlight Jellies)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey struggles to find a dress  
> Sebastian struggles when he sees her in it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i really just write this for myself

“Hey Rey, what are you gonna wear to the Moonlight Jellies?”

Rey looks up at Abigail, who was modeling her dress in front of her full body mirror. It was a knee-length dress, with a purple tartan design and a halter neckline that tied in a pretty bow in the back. She was going to wear her hair in the rare ponytail, with two wavy tendrils falling on either side of her face – she was going to look adorable.

Rey shrugs, “I don’t have a dress or anything. I figured I’d just wear whatever.”

“You can’t just wear whatever,” Abigail says, her hands on her hips, “Why don’t we go to Emily’s and see if she has anything you can wear?”

“Who’s Emily?”

Abigail carefully peels her dress off of her body and gently lays it on her bed, then starts putting on her regular clothes.

“Oh, that’s right, you’ve never met her,” She says, shimmying into her pants, “Emily Golightly. She’s Haley’s older sister, graduated last year, and she loves making clothes, wants to be a designer someday. If their parents weren’t already loaded, Haley would probably wear Emily’s clothes, instead of that skank shit she buys in Zuzu City.”

“You think Emily will just _give_ me a dress?” Rey asks, skeptically.

“She won’t give you a dress, but she’ll let you borrow one,” Abigail clarifies, “Emily isn’t anything like Haley. She’s super nice, like, she’s into crystals and meditating and all that stuff. It’s hard to believe they’re even related. Come on, she’s probably home right now.”

Before Rey can object, she’s being dragged out of Abigail’s room. Jodi watches, worry all over her face, as the two girls leave, but she doesn’t say anything. Rey notices that Abigail doesn’t let go of her hand, even after they exit Pierre’s Shop. She wonders if Sebastian is right about Abigail having a crush on her, but her thoughts are interrupted by Abby jerking her forward, down the street.

They reach a house, big, white and red, that’s adjacent to Sam’s family house. There’s a small flower bed of sunflowers in the front, which is amazing considering that sunflowers aren’t even in season. Abigail presses the doorbell three times, until the front door opens.

“What do _you_ want, Barett?” Haley asks, her arms crossed in front of her and her hips cocked to the side.

“Is Emily here?” Abigail asks, “We wanna see if Rey can borrow something for the Moonlight Jellies.”

Haley narrows her eyes at the two girls in front of her, but instead of giving more attitude, she calls back for her sister, “Em! There are some dweebs at the door for you!” She turns around and stomps back into the house.

In only a split second, a young woman, with short blue hair and sparkling eyes appears in the doorway.

“Abigail! Hi!” She pulls Abigail into a quick hug, “And you must be Baby Castillo!”

Rey nods, not totally hating the nickname. It’s better than That-Girl-Who-Fist-Fought-Her-Step-Mom.

“What brings you here?” Emily asks, “I was just finishing up Haley’s Jelly dress.”

Abigail scratches the back of her neck, “Actually, Em, that’s why we’re here. Rey didn’t pack any dresses, so she’s got nothing to wear for the dance.”

Emily frowns, “It’s a little last minute. I don’t think I can whip something up.”

“That’s okay! Anything you have that might fit her could work!”

Emily eyes Rey up and down, making a note of her bust and waist size. She had bigger boobs than both her and Haley, and thicker thighs too, but she probably did have something that could work. She waves her hand, gesturing for the two girls to come in.

The walk passed the living room, where Haley sat, shoveling popcorn in her mouth as she watched some stupid daytime soap. From what Rey could tell, there were only two bedrooms in the house, which seemed kind of odd, but she doesn’t say anything.

Once the three of them were in Emily’s room, the door shut tightly behind them, she began to look through her closet, searching for something that could potentially fit Rey.

“So, who is Haley going with?” Abigail asks, not bothering to hide her nosiness, “Since Alex is taking Penny, we all kinda assumed she was going to be dateless.”

“Oh, I convinced Marnie’s nephew, Shane, to take her., since he’s gonna be in town for the weekend,” Emily answers, her voice coming from suprisingly deep in her closet, “He’s cute and older, so she’ll still look cool. And she’s kind of a slut, so he’ll get something out of it too.”

“I thought you two were dating. Isn’t that weird?”

“Love has no boundaries,” Emily says as she emerges, three dresses hanging over her arm, “And besides, Shane and I only ever kissed, and it didn’t work. It’s not like my sister and I are going to be shaft sisters or anything.”

“That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard,” Abigail grimaces, “Anyways, what did you find?”

Emily pulls the first dress from her arm and Rey immediately falls in love. It’s jet black, sleeveless, with a slight sweetheart neckline and light ruffles. The back of the dress was knee length, but the front stopped mid-thigh.

“I figured this would be the best. With the open neck, you won’t have to worry about your breasts being crushed, and the short shirt would be great for your, um, thicker thighs,” Emily explains, “Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect!” Rey says, trying to contain her excitement, “How much?”

“Sweetie, you’re doing me a favor by wearing it,” Emily insists, “Just take a few pictures, so I can post them to my online store, if you don’t mind.”

“Thank you so much,” Rey says, “I can’t believe you’d just let me borrow this.”

Emily shrugs, “It’s just a dress. Now, get along, I still have to finish up Haley’s gown before she starts throwing a tantrum.”

Abigail and Rey nod, more than happy to obey. The two are in such a good mood, they even wave goodbye to Haley, who shoots them a dirty look regardless.

“You’re gonna look so good, Rey,” Abigail giggles on their way back to Pierre’s Shop, “Everybody is going to be looking at you.”

Rey blushes slightly. That was nice, but really, there was one person she hoped would be looking at her.

But she knew he would be looking at Abigail.

 

* * *

 

Sebastian stood with Sam at the edge of the pier, waiting for their two friends to show up. Everyone else was there, dressed to the nines. Even the grown ups had dressed up a little.

“How do girls walk in high heels in the sand?” Sam asks, sounding more impressed than anything.

“They’re superior beings than we are,” Sebastian answers him, to which Sam instantly agrees.

The air is hot and the slightly spray from the ocean is more than welcome, even if it does get their clothes wet.

They watch as everyone takes a spot on the pier. Robin and Demetrius are on the far end, Maru, the kid genius, was on the edge, swinging her legs back and forth. For a split second, Sebastian wishes she would topple over into the ocean, but he instantly regrets thinking such a thought. Caroline and Pierre stand next to Robin and Demetrius, holding hands, and chatting happily with the other couple. Jodi and Kent aren’t too far behind Sam and Sebastian, silent, as they enjoy each other’s company. Marnie was talking to Lewis, giggling like Abigail did with Rey, and Sebastian could tell that the mayor was laying it on real thick, even though Farmer Castillo was right there next to them, oblivious to it all.

It was cheesy and embarrassing to admit, but what all these couples had is what he wanted. Someone to spend moments like this with, just the two of them, taking in the beautiful sight of the jellies and reveling in each other’s company.

At least he had Sam.

“Those girls are gonna miss the Jellies!” Sam groans, “I’d wish they’d hurry. I’m tired of looking back and seeing Alex try to feel Penny up.”

Sebastian whips his head around, and sure enough, he caught a glimpse of Alex, his hand on Penny’s lower back, as it moves slowly lower. He feels a little guilty watching as Penny blushes, but doesn’t stop him.

“What is it about Alex that makes girls wanna just fuck him?”

Sam shrugs, “It’s gotta be the Gridball, dude. Maybe I should try out for the team.”

“What? As the mascot?”

“Fuck. You.”

Sebastian laughs, “You know you’d get crushed into a fine powder, if you were on the Gridball team.”

Sam sighs, “You’re probably right. I guess I should just kiss Penny goodbye.”

Sebastian felt bad, he didn’t like seeing his usually chipper best friend like this. Guilt bubbles up in his stomach, knowing that the only reason Penny was here with Alex, why Sam was so down, was because of him. He wanted to be with Abigail so badly, that he was willing to indirectly hurt Sam. And Abigail didn’t even want to be with him, she wanted to be with –

“Rey!” Sam calls out, snapping Sebastian out of his shame spiral, “Abby! Over here!”

Sebastian looks back and sees the two girls on the far end of the dock, both of them had barefoot, holding their shoes in their hands from their trek across the sand. He can feel his pulse quicken as he take them in; Abigail in a purple tartan dress, her brown hair pulled up, with a few wavy strands falling around her face, and Rey in her ruffly black dress, the front hemline was merely inches from the apex of her thighs, showcasing the shapely legs Sebastian never noticed she had.

“Holy Yoba,” Sam mutters, “Rey is _hot_.”

Sebastian nods slowly in agreement.

“Pick your jaws up off the floor, boys,” Abigail grins as she and Rey approach them.

“You guys could’ve dressed up too, you know?” Rey says, “Why is it that girls always put so much effort into how we look, but guys are always content to roll out of bed and show up?”

“Hey! We’re both wearing shirts with buttons!” Sam says, defensively.

“Seb is wearing his hoodie, you liar,” Abigail rolls her eyes.

“It’s _under_ my hoodie, smart-ass,” He retorts.

“Then take it off,” Abigail challenges him, eliciting an “ _oooh_ ” from Rey. She clenches her hands into small fists and the two of them begin to chant, “Take it off! Take it off!” Sam joins them in their chorus, much to Sebastian’s annoyance.

He begrudgingly peels his beloved black hoodie off of his body, his actions being met with cheers from his friends. He can’t help but notice Rey’s eyes she quickly looks him up and down. He feels both embarrassed and pleased.

“So, now what happens?” Rey asks, turning to face the ocean. There were small lights, like tea lights, spread along the border of the pier, their small glow illuminated on the surface of the calm water. It was beautiful, definitely something she would have never seen back in Zuzu City. She could feel the homesickness begin to dissipate.

“Lewis will push that little light boat over there,” Sam points to where the Mayor stood, a small boat in the water near him, “And it will basically start the whole thing. All the jellies will show up and glow and dance in the water. It’s really cool.”

“When does he do that?”

“Should be soon. He likes to wait until everyone is here,” Sam says.

Rey looks around, taking in all the faces. Some she recognized, some she didn’t. There was an older looking man, standing at the far end of the beach, wearing, what looked like a toga. There was a plump blonde lady, standing around with a drink in her hand, talking to a mustachioed man, who seemed to be enjoying her company. There was another man, with brown hair and a heavy build, who was standing alone, longingly looking at Emily. Haley was there too, sitting on the lap of some guy she didn’t recognize, who didn’t look old enough to be sporting a five o’clock shadow, on the bench in front of the fishing shop. The last couple she noticed, was an elderly one, the woman was tall, with kind blue eyes, and she stood next to her husband, who was bound to a wheelchair, who looked considerably less kind.

Was this all the people who lived in Pelican Town? They couldn’t fill a diner in Zuzu City.

“Alright, everyone,” Lewis’s voice boomed, amplified by a megaphone, “Let us commence the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies!”

He kneels down onto the wood of the pier and launches the candle boat onto the ocean. As the small boat glides, one last strong gust of summer wind blows all the lights from the small candles out, leaving the beach in complete darkness.

Only moments later, there was a soft glow from beneath the water. Then there was another and another. Soon, there were hundreds of Jellies, dancing just under the surface of the water, and it was more beautiful than Rey could’ve ever imagined.

She squats down to get a closer look at the Jellies. Their bodies were white, almost translucent, and yet, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how they were glowing. Somehow, it made them all the more beautiful.

Sebastian squats down next to her, not saying anything. He didn’t like to admit it, but he really enjoyed this town tradition. It was quiet, something you could appreciate alone, and mesmerizing.

He notices Rey, reaching down into the water, to touch one of the Jellies, and his hand shoots out and grabs her wrist.

“Don’t!” He whispers, “No one has ever touched one before, so we don’t know if they’re poisonous.”

“Oh, okay.” She says, understanding.

Sebastian lets go of her wrist, and rests his hand next to hers on the planks of the pier. His eyes dart over to her hand, noting that if he had the guts, he could reach out, and hold it. He knew he didn’t though, and instead, he was content to watch her face glow with the light of the jellies.

The glow of summer finally faded as the jellies carried on towards the great unknown.

 


	7. Ignorance Isn't Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian is ignoring Rey and she doesn't know why  
> Abigail confesses her feelings  
> The boys talk about masturbation etiquette

“Hey Abby, is Sebastian mad at me?”

Abigail opens her eyes and looks up at Rey, who was leaning over her, rinsing the bleach out of Abigail’s hair in the kitchen sink. Her hair had lightened from chestnut brown to an almost pale blonde, much to Rey’s surprise. When she had bleached her hair, the day after her father confirmed his relationship with the nanny, her hair had lifted from dark black to a coppery orange. She had to bleach it again to get it to the right kind of blonde for the dark purple she wanted. Her hair was fried, and it took three weeks of hair masks, treatments, and oils to get her hair back to it’s original silky texture, but it seemed like Abigail wouldn’t have that problem. Lucky her.

“Not that I know,” Abigail says, “Want me to text him and ask?”

Rey shakes her head, “No, it’s okay. It’s just… The other day, he was on the farm, helping his mom with expanding the chicken coop. I tried talking to him, but he just shrugged me off. Then I tried texting him and he left me on read. He’s been ignoring me, hardcore.”

Abigail grabs her phone and punches out a text to Sebastian, a simple _hey._ She grits her teeth together as Rey dries her hair, she didn’t want Rey to think she was a crybaby, but she was yanking and pulling pretty hard. Her pain intensified when Rey turned on the hair dryer onto high heat and aimed for her scalp. It was like she put crushed peppers on her head and then lit it on fire. Once Rey is satisfied, she steps away and begins mixing the color Abigail picked, a light purple kind of lavender color, and the developer in a plastic bowl.

Abigail’s phone vibrates with Sebastian's response.

_What?_

She pouts, annoyed with his annoyed-sounding response. _Are you ignoring rey??? she says you wont talk to her_ , she types out.

His response is almost immediate, _I’m not mad at her._

_then why wont you talk to her???_

Abigail watches as the text under her little blue bubble goes from _delivered_ to _read_. The ellipsis from Sebastian’s end pop up, but just as quickly disappear. No response.

“Alright, are you ready?” Rey asks, satisfied with her purple mixture. The faint sell of artificial grape scent wafts from the plastic bowl, and Abigail can fee herself become anxious. She’s always wanted to dye her hair, but she knows that her mom is going to absolutely lose her mind.

“Color me bad, Rey,” Abigail grins, clenching and unclenching her fists on the arm of the wooden chair. She lets out a small “Eep!” as Rey begins slathering the cold mixture on her hair. They both keep an eye on the clock, making sure to hurry up and be done before Caroline came home.

She – she being Caroline– had reluctantly accepted that Abigail had befriended Rey, the Farmer’s granddaughter, the troublemaker, and there was no way to keep them apart. So, she, at the incessant begging and pleading and straight-up demanding, finally allowed Rey to come to their house to hang out with Abigail. However, the two girls know that once Caroline comes home and sees her beloved daughter with purple tresses, that would be the end of their shenanigans.

At least, at Abigail’s home.

Once Abby’s hair is nice and saturated, Rey gathers it all up into one big, goopy bun and covers it with a hair bag. She grabs the hair dryer and begins applying heat to the bag. While she does that, Abigail pulls her phone out again, making sure that Rey couldn’t see what she was typing.

ABIGAIL: _I think she misses you_

ABIGAIL: _did she do something wrong???_

ABIGAIL: _sebby??? helloo???_

Finally, he answers.

SEBASTIAN: _Yoba, she didn’t do anything, okay?_

SEBASTIAN: _I’ve just been busy._

SEBASTIAN: _Besides, isn’t it better if I’m not talking to her? It gives you time to be with her, since you’re so into her._

Abigail blushes, her eyes darting up to look at Rey. She was so cute, the way her lips pursed together while she hummed a tune she couldn’t hear over the hair dryer. Rey wore her hair a new way today, her long hair pulled into two donut buns, like the main character in _Cute Space Defender_ _Squad_. She longed to lace her fingers between Rey’s, to take Rey’s adorable round cheeks in her hands and pull her face towards her own.

That’s when it dawned on her. This situation was one that was all too familiar. Abigail was more perceptive than she let on, not that she had to be to know that Sebastian had feelings for her. Of course, she wondered what it would be like with him, but there always seemed to be someone else that caught her eye. In the past it was Sam, then it was Emily, then secretly Alex (that was the first time anyone ever touched her boobs), and now it was Rey. Whenever Abigail had these crushes, Sebastian would become upset. Distance himself and, occasionally, lash out.

“Who are you texting?” Rey asks when she shuts off the hair dryer.

Abigail sticks her tongue out, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“That’s why I asked,” Rey smiles, taking a seat in one of the free chairs.

“Just Sebastian,” Abigail says, “Sometimes he gets all moody when I, um, hang out with someone else.”

“Really? Sebastian never really struck me as the jealous type.”

“He’s not really,” Abigail tries to explain, “He’s just… He’s been into me for a long time, but I’ve never really reciprocated his feelings. So, when he thinks I’m having feelings for someone else, he kind of recluses himself.”

“He thinks you like me,” Rey says, not as a question but as fact.

Abigail nods, noticing suddenly that her palms had become sweaty, her knees weak, and her arms heavy. Did her heart always beat this fast?

“Do you?”

Abigail isn’t used to this. _She_ was always the one who initiated this kind of stuff. It was _her_ idea to ditch Sebastian and make out with Sam all those years ago. She invited herself over to the Golightly home to receive “tutelage” from Emily (and did she ever). She was the one who ran into Alex when he was working out, all alone in the gym, and offered to spot him, which lead to an incredibly sweaty, awkward grope session.

“Yeah,” Abigail confesses, “Do you like me?”

“Come on,” Rey says, standing up, “Let’s rinse the color out of your hair. It’s gonna look fantastic.”

Abigail frowns, but complies, leaning her head back, resting against the sink. She’s embarrassed, never having been rejected before. The cold water runs against her scalp and down her neck, cooling the head that was radiating from her.

Abigail couldn’t stand that the only noise breaking the silence is the running sink and how it sounds like a mighty waterfall crashing around her.

“Rey, do you like me the way I like you?”

Rey looks at Abigail, laying helplessly below her, her eyes begging her for an answer. Any answer.

“I’m sorry,” She says, her voice quiet, “I have feelings for someone else.”

Abigail can feel her heart break a little for herself, tears spring to the inner corner of her eyes. She lifts her hand to rub the wetness way, cursing herself for being to obvious. She feels Rey’s hand, soft and gentle on hers, trying to comfort her friend.

“I hope we can stay friends,” Rey says, sadness making her voice deeper and heavier than usual.

Abigail chuckles, “Of course, dummy. I’ll get over you.” She waits a moment, letting the air between them settle before speaking up again. “Who do you have feelings for?”

Rey forces a small, fake smile on her face, continuing to wash the color out of Abigail’s hair, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Why not?”

Rey turns the water off and grabs all of Abigail’s hair in her hands, gently wringing excess water out of it. If she pretends she’s busy, she doesn’t have to answer. If she answers, she’ll tell the truth. No answer, no lie. She grabs a new, fresh towel and vigorously dries Abigail’s hair, before finally letting it fall onto her shoulders.

Abigail reaches onto the table and grabs the little black hand mirror. As she examines her hair, she gasps, falling in love with the color. Rey did an amazing job – she knew her mom was going to lose her fucking mind. She notices Rey in the background of the mirror, looking at the ground in a rare display of unease.

“Why doesn’t it matter, Rey?” Abigail asks, her voice firm and demanding. This is what friends do, they confront each other – force each other to come to terms with their feelings and their truths.

“Because,” She says, the word coming out in a heavy breath, “He’s into someone else.”

_Oh_ , Abigail thinks, as the realization dawns on her. She didn’t know what to say to comfort her friend. She feels her heart break more for her friend than it did for herself.

 

* * *

 

Sebastian couldn’t help it. It was biology.

He glanced over at the clock on his little end table, cursing himself when he realized that he had woken up early on a weekend. But it was okay, because it meant he had a little extra time to do what comes natural.

Sebastian has a specific scene he likes to play in his head on mornings just like this one:

He’s on the beach, the air is warm and slightly sticky from the salt of the sea, and on the end of the dock stands _her_. Fireflies flicker and dance around her as she makes her way towards him, intent in her every step. He can feel his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he gulp, anticipating her arrival.

He closes his eyes as she reaches him, her hands already on his body, lighting his skin on fire. He lets out a breath as she brushes her small fingers against him, his length hardening at her touch.

“Do you want me?”

The question is always the same, when he imagines her saying it, her voice a low whisper. The only difference this time was that it wasn’t Abigail who was whispering in his ear. It was Rey, her voice slightly more high pitched than Abigail’s, who was teasing him in this fantasy.

His palms become sweaty as he pictures her, her long purple hair framing her face, her chubby cheeks flushed with desire – desire for him.

“Oh Yoba, _yes_ ,” He hisses through gritted teeth, watching as Rey smiles shyly before lowering herself onto her knees.

That happened a few days ago, and every day since. Sebastian couldn’t stop picturing her, on her knees and ready for him. He would catch himself staring at her across the lunch table, fixated on her purple lips, until Sam would jab him in the ribs, breaking his concentration. Luckily, Rey was oblivious to his leering.

Unfortunately, Farmer Castillo had stopped by during school and commissioned Robin to expand his chicken coop. Apparently, Rey had insisted on helping out around the farm and with the extra hand, he would be able to give more attention to more animals. What was worse was that Robin had enlisted both him and his younger sister, Maru, to help with the construction.

“What? She’s your friend, I thought you’d be happy to help,” Robin says, confused.

Sebastian tried to play it off as just not wanting to help because he’s a moody teenager, but Robin was better than anyone at sensing something off with her son. She pried and pried, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell his mom that he was uncomfortable being near the focus of his masturbatory fantasy. Because he refused to share with his mom, Robin refused to let him off the hook.

It was hard for him to ignore her at Zephyr Farms, it was her turf after all. She came a few times, offering ice water and lemonade, even dinner. He just swiped the drinks from her, uttering a short “thanks”, before turning around to show that he wasn’t interested in talking to her. Guilt pooled in his stomach he listened to her step closer to him, hesitate, and instead turn back to her house.

Sebastian was more than relieved that with his and Maru’s help, his mom was able to finish the coop expansion much sooner than expected. He wouldn’t have to be in Rey’s presence for a few days, until it was time for school.

She texted him a few times, and he only opened the messages, but never replied. Their once daily conversations had turned into:

REY: _Hey Seb :)_

REY: _Are you busy?_

REY: _I guess you are. Text me later, okay?_

REY: _Hey, wanna check out the caves today? I found a rusty sword in my Pawpaw’s chest._

REY: _Let me know, we can go out late if you want._

REY: _Hey,_ _I found a weird black egg in the coop this morning. Made me think of you :)_

REY: _Sebastian?_

REY: _Did I do something wrong?_

REY: _Sebastian, I can see you ignoring me_

REY: _I can see you ignore that text too_

REY: _Are you mad at me or something?_

REY _: Okay, text me when you’re done being a dick._

REY: _Dick._

Sebastian found himself scrolling through their thread. He wanted to reach out to her, he wanted to hang out with her again, but truth be told, he was embarrassed. Rey was his friend, someone that understood him more than anyone else he knew. He ruined their friendship by imagining her in the most perverse way, _and getting off to her_. How could he hang out with her, look at her in her brown eyes, and pretend that he didn’t touch himself to the thought of her wrapped around him?

He was sick.

If I just stop talking to her, she’ll forget about me, Sebastian thinks, as he mindlessly plays a melody on his synth.

Sam nods his head along to the beat, pleased with what Sebastian was churning out. Of course, it was Sam’s idea to have band practice. Since Penny started dating Alex, who had in turn had _not_ stopped boning Haley, Sam became an expert in the tragic art of unrequited love, which he used as inspiration for his songwriting.

Sam looks up irately as Sebastian’s phone chimes once again, indicating that he’s received another text. He’s told Sebastian over and over that band practice was a phone-free time.

“What the hell, dude? Turn off your phone.”

“It’s just Abigail,” Sebastian mutters, not bothering to look up from his screen.

“Right, I forgot that Abby is always exempt,” Sam says sarcastically, placing his guitar on its stand. He crosses his arms and sits on his bed, the springs bouncing beneath him. “What happened now?”

Sebastian shoves his phone into his pocket, not bothering to respond to Abigail’s text, her reply to the last snarky message he had sent. “I… It’s really embarrassing.”

“Dude, for real? I told you about the time I pissed my pants in gym class. We’re best friends, we can tell each other about out embarrassing shit.”

Sebastian looks at his friend, shyly, which throws Sam off for a second. Sure, he’s seen Sebastian do an endless amount of embarrassing things, but he’d never really seen him act _shy_.

“I, um, I.. I,” Sebastian sputters out, “Yoba, this is awful. I woke up the other day and I decided to… _you_ know.” He lazily makes an obscene gesture and Sam nods in understanding. “And I usually just think of Abigail.”

“Gross.”

“Shut up. Anyways, but I didn’t think of her this time. I was picturing Rey. Now every time I wanna jack it, I think of her, and whenever I see her, I think about what I think about with I jack it.”

Sam shakes his head, “You made a classic mistake, my friend. You thought of someone you like in real life to masturbate to.”

Sebastian’s entire face becomes a deep scarlet, “What am I supposed to think about?”

“Seb, there is a computer in your room. Porn is free,” Sam grins. Sure, he wasn’t as book smart as Sebastian, but _this_ is where he held the intellectual upper hand. “Now, instead of seeing Rey as your friend, you see her as someone you wanna bone. Once you do that, it’s hard to go back. That’s _why_ porn exists. To help maintain friendships between guys and girls.”

Sebastian knew that for the last bit of their conversation that Sam was just talking out of his ass. It was okay though, because he helped him realize his mistake. But now he needed to figure out how to fix things.

“I’ve been avoided Rey,” He tells Sam, “I don’t know what to say to her, and it sucks because...” He pauses, taking a moment to let his feelings come to light, “I really miss her.”

Sam frowns, sympathetic for his friend. Since Penny and Alex started dating, he had seen her less and less. She didn’t tutor him anymore, instead he had Abby try to help him with schoolwork, but she was the meanest tutor in the world.

“What do I do, Sam?”

“Maybe seeing less of her will make it easier,” Sam suggests, “Stop hanging out for a bit. See if that helps.”

Sebastian nods, considering Sam’s idea. It wasn’t ideal, any plan that kept him from hanging out with Rey sucked. But seeing Rey and only picturing Fantasy Rey wasn’t fair to her. She deserved to be seen as more than jerk material.

His phone vibrates, pulling him out of his thoughts. He pulls it out of his pocket, his heart dropping as he reads the text on his screen. It was from Rey.

_Can we talk, Sebastian? Please?_

Sebastian sighs, finally replying to Rey.

_I just don’t want to talk to you, ok? Just give me some space._

She responds almost instantly, _Fine. Just so you know, Sebastian, this isn’t how you treat a friend._

“It’s just for a little bit,” Sam says, trying to comfort his best friend, “Just figure out how you feel about her.”

Sebastian just wanted to talk to Rey.

But he needed to get his shit together first.


	8. Spelunking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian tells Rey to get lost, so she does

Rey was beyond mad.

If anyone could understand her, it was Sebastian. Sebastian who hated his step-father, who felt overshadowed by their intellectually superior sibling.

Sebastian who basically told her to fuck off for no reason.

Rey lifts her arm over her head, hands gripped tightly around the neck of a pickaxe, and swings down in all her might, the strength lent to her by her rage shattering a rock to pieces. Last time she did this she was with Sebastian.

She shatters another rock. And then another after that.

“Fuck Sebastian!” She screams, “Fuck Dad! Fuck Priscilla! Fuck Riot! Fuck Ren! Fuck Mom!” Every name she lists off has a special rock dedicated to them that she promptly turns to rubble. Her arms begin to ache and tremble, but she doesn’t care.

Fuck Sebastian, her first real friend here that didn’t want to be around her.

Fuck her dad, who sent her away instead of trying to help her.

Fuck Priscilla, who swept in and stole the spot of Rey’s mom.

Fuck Riot and Ren, her traitorous sibling who swore to hate Priscilla with Rey, until they saw Rey reprimanded for her rebellion.

Fuck her mom, who died and left her to rot with all these people who only pretended to care about her, until loving her became too hard.

Rey stood in the middle of the quarry surrounded by pieces of broken stone, the only light coming from the stars in the sky. There were no more rocks to destroy, but the fire inside her had yet to be quelled. She heads west, carefully crossing the bridge that closes the gap between the quarry and the mountain, dragging the rusty pickaxe behind her.

She passes a cabin with only one closed widow and a small peephole on the door. Although it looked empty, the black smoke from the chimney suggested that it was someone’s home. She trudges forward, walking along the edge of the lake. As she walks, she begins to see the shape of the house on the mountains. The carpenter’s house.

Sebastian’s house.

Rey’s legs lock and she knows she can’t go further. Instead, she tightens her hold on the pickaxe and walks inside the dark mine. It’s cold, colder than outside, and she wishes she was wearing more than jeans and a t-shirt.

“Just a few hours,” She whispers to herself, “I just need to make it through the next few hours and then I can go home.”

It’s dark inside the cave, but there are a few torches here and there that offer Rey a dim light. More startling than the darkness is the silence. It’s almost deafening, the only noise breaking the quiet is the sound of water dripping from _somewhere_ , every thirty seconds.

What really grab’s Rey’s attention is a small shaft that seems to lead lower. She knows, in her gut, that it’s probably dangerous. That whatever is down there could make her its lunch.

But the raging inferno inside of her told her to press her luck and exorcise her fury.

 

* * *

 

It had been a week since Sebastian had sent that text to Rey, the one telling her that they needed space. As much as he hated to admit it, not a day passed where he didn’t miss her company.

He _wanted_ to text her and ask her to come back, but how could he? What was he supposed to say? _Okay, I miss you, you can come back now._ She would have every right to tell him to jump up his own ass and die.

Sebastian looks over at the corner of his computer screen, his eyes aching from staring at the bright lights for so long. It was almost eleven, which meant that he had been practicing coding for five hours. It also meant that both his mom and Demetrius were fast asleep, and that Maru is in her room cramming for a test she doesn’t have for another month. He reaches into his desk drawer, lifting the false bottom, and reaching for the carton he had hidden, and stashed it away in the pocket of his hoodie.

It was the second week of fall and the air had finally cooled down and smelled of fresh pine. Fresh air, however, wasn’t what Sebastian was craving. Once he had walked far enough from his house, standing on a lone island on the lake, he pressed a cigarette to his lips and lit up. At first it stung his lungs, but after a couple puffs, he began to feel his head become light and his shoulders dropped tension.

Honestly, smoking was the only thing keeping Sebastian sane. With Abigail shooting lovelorn looks at Rey, who sat with (vomit) Alex, Haley, Penny, and Maru, during lunch and Sam badgering him to make things right with Rey, this was the only time he had felt peace. With lungs full of smoke and tar, he felt like he could breathe again.

He pulls his phone out from his pocket and begins to scroll down his Friendbook feed. Selfie of Haley, selfie of Alex and Haley, selfie of Alex and Haley featuring Penny… Finally, he comes upon a picture of Alex, Haley, Penny, Maru, and Rey. Alex had invited her to have lunch with them, the first day Rey was alone, and she’s been a part of their group the whole week. Earlier today, Maru told her parents that she was going to the beach with them, and Sebastian figured that Haley would force someone to take a picture of them, to commemorate their day together. That’s what Haley did, take picture of herself and sometimes with others.

In the forefront of the picture is Alex, of course, flexing his right arm, his left arm around Penny, who was shyly covering her abdomen, even though she was wearing one of those purple beach robes. On the sand, with her legs tucked beneath her and her back facing the camera, showing off her generous proportions, her head turned to look mischievously at the camera, was Haley, her body covered by a skimpy, vibrant pink bikini. Behind Haley, next to Penny, was Maru, who, compared to Haley, was dressed modestly, in a navy blue spaghetti strap one-piece, and smiling widely, proudly displaying the results of her braces that she had taken off just before the start of the school year. Next to Maru, was Rey, her long purple hair pulled into a high ponytail, a black bikini that tied on the sides covering her body, and a smile that seemed almost genuine.

It could be a nice picture, Sebastian thinks, if he didn’t absolutely hate two of the people in it.

Seeing Rey in a bikini stirred up the same feelings in Sebastian as when he saw her in her dress on the night of the Moonlight Jellies. But seeing Rey smiling in the picture made Sebastian miss seeing her smile in real life.

Before he could continue his cyber-stalking, Sebastian’s phone began to ring, Abigail’s name and picture appearing on his screen.

“Hey Abigail, what’s up?”

“Hey, sorry for calling so late, even though I know you were up watching porn anyways,” Abigail teases him, “But my mom just came into my room. I guess Farmer Castillo called her and asked if Rey was over. He said that she never came home. He’s really worried, and so am I.”

Sebastian feels his blood run cold. “What do you mean she never came home? Maru’s been home from the beach for hours.”

“Damn it,” Abigail swears, “I’m gonna run down to the beach and look for her. Would you mind looking around for her too?”

Sebastian drops his cigarette on the ground and stomps it out, “Yeah, no problem. What do you think happened to her?”

“She might have… run away,” Abigail says, her voice shaking, “I mean, think about it. She was having problems with her parents, she got sent here, and now the only friends she has abandon her… She’s probably incredibly sad right now.”

Rey, sad? Highly unlikely. Rey wasn’t water – she was fire. Where most sit and cry, she stands and destroys. Sebastian knew where she was.

“I’ll call you if I find her, okay?”

Without waiting for a response, Sebastian hangs up on Abigail. Something he would have never done even a month ago. Before he can really process it, his legs are carrying him east as fast as he can. To the quarry, where he had taken her that day Sam had humiliated her. Rey, like Sebastian, needed to demolish to cleanse. When he arrives, he finds nothing but rubble and destruction. Rey had already been there, he realizes, but he arrived too late.

“I just need to think like Rey,” He muses to himself, _wwRd?_

_What would Rey do?_

He slowly walks from the quarry towards his house, trying to look for small footprints, but to no avail. Instead, what he does see is his home on the horizon. _What would Rey do?_ Avoid Sebastian, like she had been all week. Never once did she even cast a glace his way, so, there was no doubt she would look for a way around his house. The only way around that Sebastian knew of were the mine carts.

Moisture gathers on Sebastian’s palms as he makes his way to the entrance of the mines. He went “adventuring” in the mines once, when he was younger, and found himself ambushed by sentient, gelatinous blobs. Although they looked squishy, touching them hurt and the jelly from their bodies made it hard to move. It was so traumatizing, Sebastian never ventured out into the mines again.

Until now.

With shaky legs and sweaty palms, Sebastian steps inside the mines. It’s cold and humid at the same time, the only sounds were of him trying to calm his breathing and of some damn water droplets hitting the ground. He eyes the mine shaft, the same one he traveled down as a kid. He wishes he brought something with him, a sturdy stick or even one of the old pickaxes from the quarry.

As he heads down the shaft, the can see the Rey has been there, a few rocks have been reduced to rubble, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Swallowing heavily, he heads down to the next floor. It’s the same scene, broken rocks and carefully avoided Jelly Blobs, but no Rey. He travels to the next floor and the next floor, and the floor after that, narrowly avoiding the sights of the mine monsters. There were so many, more than he ever though existed. There were the Jellies, Bugs, weird Cave Flies, and a Rock Crab that pinched him. How Rey managed to slip passed them, Sebastian couldn’t understand.

Unless she didn’t.

_What if they caught her? What if they ate her? What if I’m next?_

Terrible thoughts filled Sebastian’s head and he found it harder and harder for him to make it to the next floor. Should he just leave and trust that Rey would find her way home? If something happened to her, could he forgive himself for leaving?

Of course not.

Through gritted teeth, Sebastian makes his way to the next floor. This floor is different; the walls of the cave are oozing with green slime and the whole air is covered by a thick fog. It’s beyond eerie and a feeling of terrible uneasy pools in the pit of his stomach. He looks around and notices that there’s no way down. Rey must not have found the shaft to the next floor. That meant she was somewhere here.

Sebastian carefully treads into the center of the floor, as he walks, he hears high-pitched screeching. At first, it was soft, as though far away, but as he kept walking, it became clearer and louder.

Bats.

There are so many bats. And they’re surrounding something.

Someone.

“Rey!”

Sebastian runs to the middle of the floor, where Rey’s body lies listless. He shakes her, but she doesn’t wake up. He notices her chest moving, thanking Yoba that she was still breathing. He slides his arm under her and picks her up, slinging her over his shoulder. She’s heavier than he expects, mostly because her entire body was a dead weight. He struggles to carry her back up the mines, and it’s made even worse by the bats biting and plucking at him, tearing holes into his skin and his sweater.

He can feel blood trickling down his arms and sweat rolling down his face. Exerting himself so extremely, while being attacked, after smoking, was not working out. He felt his knees almost buckle a few times, but he couldn’t let himself waver.

After what felt like days, Sebastian finally reaches the first floor of the mines. As gently as he can, he places Rey on the ground and kneels next to her.

“Rey? Rey?”

He taps her face and shakes her by her shoulders, trying to wake her up. He was tired, sore, and knew he really needed a doctor, but Rey was more important right now. All he wanted, more than sleep and peroxide and bandages, was for her to open her damn eyes.

“This is all my fault,” Sebastian groans, pulling his knees to his chest. He can feel tears prickling the corners of his eyes. He hadn’t cried in years – not since his father left. He felt like it was his fault his dad left. He _knew_ it was his fault that Rey left. People leave because of him. Everything was his fault. His mind screamed at him .

_IT’S ALL_ _YOUR_ _FAULT_

_IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT_

_IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT_

_IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT_

_IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT_

_IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT_

“Are you… crying..?”

Sebastian lifts his head at the sound of the small voice. His eyes meet Rey’s, and although hers are swollen, slightly bruised and bloodshot, they’re open. A wave of relief crashes into his body and he’s scrambles towards her, gathering her into his arms. She gives out a little grunt of surprise, but she gingerly wraps her arms around him.

“You know, this is the opposite of giving us space,” Rey says, smiling wryly, as they separate.

“You almost crossed over to the other side!” Sebastian retorts, “And that would’ve too much space.”

There’s a moment of awkward silence between them, both of them wanting to say something, but unsure of where to start. Finally, when Sebastian musters up the strength to speak, Rey decides to talk first.

“I came down here to expend my anger,” She says, almost like she’s ashamed, “I just wanted to break stuff. The monsters didn’t really bother me until the last floor, where, like, a hundred bats came after me. I laid on the floor and curled up, waiting for them to leave me alone, but they wouldn’t let up. It hurt so bad and I could feel myself starting to give up.” She pauses to look up at Sebastian, “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t showed up when you did.”

The thought sends a shiver down his spine, especially because he almost did turn back.

“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have come here in the first place,” Sebastian says.

Rey furrows her brows, upset. “This isn’t your fault, Sebastian. I made the choice to come here. Wait, a second. How did you know I was here?”

“Oh!” Sebastian grabs his phone from his back pocket, “I got a call from Abigail. Her mom got a call from your grandpa, asking if you were over, because you never came home. We went out looking for you, and… Well, I tried to think like you. WWRD, I asked myself. And that’s how I ended up here.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” Rey apologizes, “I… I was so mad and hurt and…”

Sebastian reaches over and covers her clenched fists with his own hands, and she immediately relaxes. His hands are cold and kind of clammy, but compared to how hot she felt in her own skin, it was a welcome feeling.

“Next time, just text me and we’ll go to the quarry and break shit together, okay?”

Rey smiles and nods.

“For now, let’s get you home. You’ve got some explaining to do,” Sebastian says, standing up. He dusts the dirt off his pants and sweater, taking a moment of silence for all the holes torn into his clothing. He then reaches his hand out to Rey to help pull her onto her feet. She stands, her legs still wobbly and weak, so she has to lean against Sebastian as they walk.

He doesn’t mind.

She smells sweet, like fruit, and a little coppery, like the blood speckled on her skin and clothes.

As they make their way through the back roads, Rey decides to finally ask the question that has been bugging her since the beginning of their entire debacle.

“So, what made you want some space from me?”


	9. Chasing After You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *blink 182's "I Miss You" plays in the background*

 

“Rey! Where have you been?”

Farmer Castillo is equal parts concerned and angry as he walks over to his granddaughter and her friend They had just opened the front door, both of them standing with a slight lean on each other. She was wearing Sebastian’s hoodie, which looked even bigger on her, and they were both a little dirty, but nothing that seemed especially out of the ordinary.

“Sorry, Pawpaw,” Rey says, her voice docile, “I went into the mines and I fell and got hurt. Sebastian went in after me.”

“My dearest granddaughter, why were you in the mines? I’ve been worried sick.”

“I was feeling really mad, Pawpaw, and I wanted to relieve my anger,” She answer honestly, “I should have called, I know. But I didn’t think I was going to be in there for so long, and my phone died.”

The old farmer wraps his arms around his granddaughter, and winces in pain. Her eyes widen, like she’s not used to being embraced, but she gingerly hugs him back. “I’m just glad you’re okay, my dear.” He turns to Sebastian and holds out his hand, “And thank you very much, Sebastian, for finding her and bringing her home. I’m indebted to you.”

Sebastian shakes his head, embarrassed, “Not at all. She’s my friend and she needed my help.”

Farmer Castillo smiles, his whole face crinkling up, the apples of his cheeks almost covering his eyes. It’s the same way Rey smiles, Sebastian notices. “I’m very happy that Rey has a friend like you.”

“I’m happy too,” Rey interjects, “But I’m also really sore. Do you mind if Sebastian helps me to my room?”

The farmer shakes his head and steps aside, letting his granddaughter and her friend pass. They make their way down the hall and to the right, where Rey’s bedroom is. It’s big, Sebastian thinks, way bigger than his dark, dank basement that he calls a room. It smells like fresh pine and it’s decorated sparsely. Hanging up on the wall next to the closet is a full length mirror, and in the corner is a suitcase, hung open, filled with clothes that Rey still hasn’t put away. _It’s like she doesn’t expect to stay_ , Sebastian muses. He helps her to her bed, a small twin shoved into the corner of the room.

“I’m going to the clinic for bandages and antiseptic,” Farmer Castillo announces from the front of the house, “Sebastian, if you don’t mind too terribly, please stay with Rey until I come back.”

Sebastian yells back an affirmative and the heavy oak door slams shut, the entire house shaking in its wake. He sits down in front of Rey, suddenly very aware that it’s her bed and that they’re alone. But the sight of her removing her tattered shirt, spattered with blood, revealing scratched and torn flesh, immediately brought him out of his teenage boy brain.

She reaches over the edge of her bed and grabs a shirt off the floor, because a little dirty was better than ripped and bloodied, and slides it on.

After an awkward beat, Rey finally speaks up.

“You know, you never answered my question,” She says, “About why you wanted space from me.”

Oh, Sebastian knew that he didn’t answer her. He doesn’t _want_ to answer her, because the answer is disgusting and objectifying and would make her hate him. They were reunited after a week apart, a week that had felt like months, and there was no way she would want to spend another minute with him after he told her that he had thought about her. Thought about her in a way that made his palms sweat and pulse race.

“You wouldn’t look at me the same,” Sebastian says, “In fact, you would hate me.”

“I could never hate you,” Rey says, “You saved my life. Just tell me, please.”

He looks at her, taking the sight of her in. The bruises and cuts and bites and bruises and the look of pleading on her face, begging him for just a little bit of honesty.

He takes a deep breath, readying himself for the consequences of his confession.

“You remember the night of the Moonlight Jellies?” Sebastian begins, “When you and Abigail showed up and you were wearing that – that dress? The one that was cut up to here?” He gestures to the highest part of his own thigh.

Rey blushes, remembering that dress. She wanted Sebastian to notice her and, evidently, he did.

“It was the next day, I woke up and remembered how you looked and I– ” He pauses, his face hot and red with shame, “I pictured you in that dress, and then I started imagining you in less, until I started imagining you in nothing at all. I know that porn is always a click away, but thinking of you was better than any of that, because I… I like you. Like, as a person. And it made thinking about you like that… better.”

Rey’s face was flush but her brows furrowed, “If you liked me, then why did you want space?”

Sebastian looks away, his hands shoved into the pocket of his hoodie, “’Cause I was embarrassed, Rey. How could I look you in the eye after the thoughts I was having of you? You deserve better than that – than me as a friend.”

“Sebastian, I –”

Before Rey can say anything more, the door to her room swings open, and Farmer Castillo stands in the frame of the door, carrying a plastic bag with the clinic’s logo.

“Sorry if I took too long,” He says, hobbling over to the bed, “Apparently, young Dr. Harvey was fast asleep when I got there. That young man sure acts like an old geezer, wouldn’t you say?”

Rey laughs and nods in agreement, even though she had never personally met Harvey, she loved that her Pawpaw made terrible jokes. Sebastian was not so receptive to his comedy.

Farmer Castillo dumps the plastic bag onto the bed, and out rolls gauze and medical tape, tubes of antiseptic, and bottles of peroxide. “Can you two handle this? Or do you need my help?”

“I can do it,” Sebastian says, confidently, “I’ve had my fair share of injuries, Farmer Castillo, I can clean her up, no problem.”

The old farmer nods, “Thank you, Sebastian. I could not ask for a better friend for my precious granddaughter.”

Rey’s slightly annoyed, but she doesn’t say thing. She didn’t need Sebastian to take care of her, regardless of how glad she or her Pawpaw were that he was there in the first place.

“Young Dr. Harvey insists that I take you to see him tomorrow, as well, my dearest Rey,” Farmer Castillo says, “Says you might need a shot or two.”

“Can’t I just die from infection, please?” Rey groans, the thought of a needle piercing her skin filled her with dread.

“Unfortunately, you have a myriad of people who would be absolutely heartbroken should something happen to you. Sorry, my dear, death is a long way away for you still,” Farmer Castillo plants a kiss on Rey’s forehead, something he hadn’t done since she was a little girl. “Don’t go chasing the grim reaper in the depth of the cave anymore. Can you promise me that?”

“Yes, Pawpaw,” Rey says, unsure if she means it, but her affirmation is enough for her grandfather.

“Good night,” He says, “I’ll see you in the morning. And Sebastian, the gratitude I feel towards you is endless. You’ve grown to be a fine young man, you know.”

Sebastian scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed by the praise.

Farmer Castillo smiles, “I’ll leave you two be.”

And so, the two of them were left alone, with medical supplies laid on the bed and tension still hanging heavy in the air.

“So, where were we?”

 

* * *

 

“You’re pretty good at this,” Rey says, wincing slightly as Sebastian helps clean up the last of her wounds.

Sebastian gives a hint of a smile, “I’ve had my fair share of injuries from helping my mom on the job.”

“I never really though of you as the clumsy type.”

 

“I am when I’m carrying an armload of two-by-eights. There,” He says, covering her last wound with a band-aid, noting the contrast of the white plastic to the golden brown of her skin. He wanted to place his lips on each tear in her flesh and heal her. “All better.”

Rey stands up and walks, with the slightest of limps, over to her mirror. She lifts her shirt by the hem, examining Sebastian’s work. She didn’t know that looking at band-aids spotted along her body like chicken pox could be so comforting.

“Thank you, Sebastian,” She says, sitting back down across from him, “For saving me over and over and over.” Like when she was lost in town on the way to Sam’s house. And when she ran away after being outed as Sam’s second choice. And during her latest fit of rage – running into the caves to destroy, destroy, destroy.

“I haven’t been saving you,” Sebastian says, looking away as his cheeks flush, “I’ve been chasing after you.”

With her small, trembling hands, Rey reaches out and holds Sebastian’s face. His skin is usually inhumanely cool, but at this moment it’s hot – feverish. She’s not just looking at him, she’s studying him, drinking in every detail of his that she could, from his pale, nearly translucent skin, to the hint of red at the root of his scalp, suggesting that Sebastian’s jet black hair was a product of box dye.

Then there were his lips, normally tight in a straight line or at home in a grimace, now tender, his bottom lip tucked in by his teeth. It made him look so vulnerable. She closes her eyes and leans in towards him.

It’s just a quick peck, nothing more than a short smacking of lips, but it’s more than enough for the feel of his lips, soft and chapped, to be forever ingrained in her membrane – ingrained in her brain.

His eyes are wide when she pulls away, surprised that she even kissed him and disappointed that she stopped.

“That felt better than I all the things I had imagined,” He says, sheepishly, hoping that Rey wouldn’t punch him in the face for being disgusting.

“I’d hope so,” Rey grins. She reaches up and touches Sebastian’s hair, the latter ducks away out of reflex.

“What’d you do that for?” He asks, offended that his personal space had been invaded. Unexpected kisses were apparently okay, but touching his hair was crossing the line.

“Your roots are red,” She whispers, even though only the two of them were in the room.

Sebastian’s face tuns red from bottom to top and steam practically shoots out of his ears like he’s some kind of cartoon tea kettle. He slaps his hand on his forehead, trying to cover up his roots. “My mom’s a redhead,” He says, defensively, “And it’s a very dominant gene.”

“Why don’t you have any freckles? Don’t redheads usually have freckles?”

“I, uh,” He looks away for a second, “I don’t go outside much, but when I do, I slather myself in sunblock. I like my pasty complexion.”

“How often do you dye your hair?”

“How often do you dye yours?” Sebastian retorts, grabbing one of Rey’s silky locks between his thumb and index finger, “Red hair might be genetic, but purple isn’t.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to pass myself off as a human grape,” Rey says, rolling her eyes, “And, for your information, I touch up my hair once a year.”

A wry smile creeps across Sebastian’s face, “We should touch our hair up together.”

The image of Sebastian, sitting cross-legged, reading a trashy magazine while black hair dye saturates his hair, like he’s a housewife from the 60’s, invades Rey’s brain, and she struggles to stifle a laugh.

“I know I already said this but, I really missed you,” she says, reaching over to squeeze his hand, “I’m glad that we’re not taking time away from each other anymore.”

Sebastian places a hand on top of her hand, “I’m sorry I even made us split up in the first place. I hope you can forgive me for that.”

“I might be able to,” Rey begins suggestively, “If you give me a little apology smooch.”

Sebastian blushes.

Then he obliges.


	10. Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian stops being a fucking coward for once and Abigail wears someone else's shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> usually i read what i post before i post it to make sure that it's semi-coherent, but i didn't do that this time so it probably sounds like one really long, dragging run-on sentence.

“Whoa, look who came back from the dead!”

Rey tilts her head, puzzled as Abigail mockingly applauds her as she approaches the lunch table. “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Abigail asks, “You went inside the mines, died, and local town hero, Sebastian, went in and brought you back to life.”

“That’s not what I heard,” Sam says, grinning mischievously next to Abigail.

“Oh, yeah? What did you hear?” Sebastian, the last one to arrive to their table for breakfast, asks. He places his tray and sits down next to Rey.

“I heard that you, Rey, were found unconscious and that you, Sebastian, had to perform CPR to, like, save her life.”

“I don’t even know CPR,” Sebastian scoffs, and the rest of their table laughs.

“Either way, you’re a hero,” Abigail says, “A regular white knight.”

Sebastian groans, disapprovingly, “How long until people stop talking about this?”

“You don’t like the attention?” Abigail continues to tease.

“You know I don’t.”

Now that she thought about it, Rey realized that there was a lot more whispering going on at school this morning. It wasn’t until she looked around and saw all the glances being thrown their way. She was used to it, after all, she had transferred over in the middle of the school year, her checkered past had been a topic of gossip for a while.

“Don’t worry, Sebastian, Haley and Alex and Penny will do something stupid, and everyone will talk about that instead,” Abigail says, not really trying to comfort him.

Sebastian wasn’t so sure. If this is how everyone was acting just because he “saved” Rey from the mines, imagine how they would act if they found out what happened afterwards? When they kissed, their lips shaky and unsure, Sebastian had decided that that was something he wanted to do over and over and over. He wanted to kiss her at school, at home, in the mines, at the beach, at the lake, in the forest. But the thought of people whispering behind their backs, making up stories about what they did — what they  _ would  _ do.

Then, there was the Abigail of it all. He had been in love with, or rather, infatuated with, her for so long. As much as he hated to admit it, everybody knew it. What would they say if he were to suddenly start dating Rey? Would they think of her as  _ his  _ consolation prize? He never wanted to make her feel the same way Sam did. On top of that, despite himself, Sebastian wasn’t even sure he wasn’t  _ still _ in love with Abigail.

Was it possible to be into two different people at once?

There was Abigail, one of his best friends, from childhood, mean-spirited, weird, and confident enough in herself to not give a fuck about what anybody thinks.

Then there was Rey, an active volcano of a person, her volatile and violent exterior guarding her damaged heart, with whom Sebastian had felt a kinship like no other. And she liked him back! When the fuck was that ever going to happen again?

These thoughts swirled around his brain all day, his doubt and uncertainty amplified with every glance shot his way. Frustration took over, calling him a coward, and making his stew of self-hatred all the more potent.

 

He wanted to talk to somebody about it. Well, he actually wanted to talk to Rey about it, but what would she say? How would she react knowing that Sebastian was waffling between her and Abigail? She’d call him a dick, which he definitely was.

He could talk to Sam about it, but he already knew what he would say. “Date Rey! It’s never gonna happen with Abby!” Which isn’t exactly what Sebastian needed to hear. Not from Sam.

It’s then that he realizes what it is he needs to hear and from who. He fishes his phone out of his pocket and types out a text.

_ Hey, can I come over after school? _

* * *

 

Abigail’s room has been the same since they were kids, save for the addition of a few band posters. It smelled like her shampoo and incense. Abigail wasn’t too into things like incense, but she went through a phase where all she wanted to do was hang out with Emily, who liked to meditate and light incense and shit like that.

She kicks off her shoes, her socks adorably mismatched, and takes a seat on her bed. The lavender color of her bed matched the new color of her har, and it really suited her, more so than her brown hair. Abigail was always different, what with her chasing frogs, skulking around the old tower in the forest, and hanging around the cemetery hoping to see a ghost, but you could never tell just by looking at her.

Now, you could.

“What’s up, Seb?” Abigail asks, “You haven’t been over in a while.”

“Bet your mom’s been thrilled about that,” He says.

“She was, until I started bring Rey around. She didn’t like you cause you're kinda weird, but Rey is… you know,” Abigail voice trails off, not wanting to reiterate what her mom says about her best friend. What everybody’s parents say about her.

“A troublemaker,” Sebastian says for her. He doesn’t mind saying it, because he knows it’s not true. They don’t know her like he knows her. They see a girl, angry and violent, but he sees Rey, hurt and betrayed, with no one in her corner. 

“Yeah,” Abigail nods, “In fact, I think my mom might miss you.”

“Yoba, she must really not like Rey,” Sebastian says it like it’s a joke, but it’s not. Not to him.

Abigail laughs, “Yeah. Oh well though. It’s not like she’s gonna come over anymore, now that you two are dating.”

An uncomfortable silence settles between the two of them. She’s leaning back, supporting her weight on her arms, and looking at Sebastian challengingly. Her lips were spread across her face, in that mischief-meets-evil kind of way, 

“We’re not —”

“I’m not  _ stupid _ , Seb,” Abigail says, “You guys kept looking at each other all during lunch, like you shared a secret.”

“Y-yeah,” Sebastian concedes, for once not wanting to hide his feelings from Abigail, “We had a moment, after the mines, last night. We kissed a few times.”

Abigail gives out an exasperated sigh, “So, why then, are you here the day after your guys’ first kiss? To rub it in because _you_ got her and I didn’t? Cause that would be a shitty thing for you to do.”

“You really think I would do that, Abigail?” He doesn’t even bother trying to hide the hurt he feels.

Abigail glares at him, her eyes starting to gloss over, “No! But you  _ knew _ I liked her, from the moment we met her, and you had no interest in her like that! You blew her off for a whole week and then told her to fuck off for a whole other week! Then you drag her out of a cave and then you get to get the girl? It’s not fair.”

Sebastian has never seen her like this. Anger, yes, but jealousy, never. Abigail was always above jealousy, because, well, who did she have to be jealous of? Nobody, until now. And it was Sebastian she was jealous of, of all people. What kind of fucked up karmic cycle did these two put themselves in?

“It’s not like that,” Sebastian protests, unsure how to talk to Abigail.

She rubs her eyes, mascara and eyeliner smearing across her face, she’s over her little crying fit. She’s never been much for tears anyways. “I just don’t get it, Sebastian,” She says, “Why you? What is the appeal of you?”

“Ouch,” it’s like getting punched in the face.

Abigail looks at him and finally realizes how it feels to be Sebastian. She wanted Rey to love her the way Sebastian wanted her to love him. But Rey wanted Sebastian and Sebastian wanted Rey back, and now Abigail had lost two of her best friends to each other. And that was the worst part of it all.

“Why are you here, Sebastian?” Abigail asks again, her voice weary and angry, “Why did you ask to come over?”

Sebastian’s survival instinct had been telling him to run a long time ago. Now, he was trying to project himself to a completely different astral plane. He knew that this was what he came here for, but it was still terrifying. He clenches his fists at his sides, tight enough that he could feel the sharp pain of crescent shaped nail marks on his palm.

_ Don’t be a fucking coward, man. _

“You know that I was in love with you,” Sebastian begins, his voice uncharacteristically shaky, appropriate for his uncharacteristic action, “Since we were little. I just need to know, before I can move forward without any fear — did you ever love me back?”

Abigail lowers her eyes, and considers lying, because as shitty as Sebastian was making her feel, she knew that her truth was going to hurt him worse.

“I love you the way that I love my mom and my dad. Like the brother I never had, you’ve always been there for me when I needed you, but… I don’t think I’ll ever love you the way you want me to.”

Her words are both a pain and a relief. It hurts Sebastian to finally know without a doubt that his romantic love for her was one-sided, but maybe now he can move on.

“Thank you, Abigail,” He says, “That’s all I needed to know.”

This entire visit has been a rollercoaster, from friendly jokes to Abigail crying frustrated at their situation, all culminating in Sebastian finally getting the closure he needed. It’s been intense and cathartic.

“So, what now?” Abigail asks, the silence between them finally unbearable.

“Now, I leave,” He answers, “I don’t think we have anything more to talk about today. Thanks again, Abigail.”

Sebastian leans down and grabs his backpack, getting ready to leave. As he turns around and puts his hand on the brass doorknob, he hears her call out for him, loudly and suddenly, making him jump.

“Don’t turn around,” She says, her voice breaking like she’s crying, “I don’t want you to see me like this. I just need to know if I’m losing my longest and best friend in the world.” 

Sebastian wants to turn around and look at her, the one who broke his heart and set him free at the same time. But the least he can do is respect her wishes.

“Sorry Abigail, but you can never get rid of me. I’m stuck in your life forever.”

She chuckles weakly and sniffles, “Thank Yoba.”

With that behind them, Sebastian leaves. He can feel Caroline’s green eyes watching him closely as he leaves, and he can’t help but wonder what the hell he did to really warrant such suspicion. He can hear her exhale with relief over the jingle from the door of the store as he leaves.

He makes his way to the west of town, walking past Harvey’s clinic, listening to the crunch of dead leaves under his shoes. He feels almost serene as he walks, for once in his life, sure of himself, with no fear of the unknown crippling him from the inside. The sky had never looked so blue to him, nor the yellows and oranges of leaves so vivid.

He steps foot onto Zephyr Farm, a place that before he had never really paid much attention to, because why would he? Now, he wanted to commit the scene in front of him to his memory. Various vegetables, flowers, and grains were starting to grow, promises of bounty and wealth peeking out from the fertile ground. Across the field, in a metal, square pen, was a gathering of animals, a few chickens, cows, goats, ducks, and even a horse, and, more importantly, in the middle of the group, was Rey. She was holding a large wooden brush, lovingly brushing the horse’s mane. 

He makes his way over to her and, his long legs unable to contain his excitement, he runs.

Rey smiles as he approaches, his face red and obviously winded. Sebastian was far from the athletic type. “Hey, Sebastian. You okay?”

He nods, frantically, “I’m more than okay. I wanted to ask you something really quick.”

“What? What’s going on?”

Sebastian takes a deep breath before standing up straight, making a brief note on how much taller than Rey he was. At least a foot, give or take a few inches.

“Do you wanna go on a date?” 


	11. First Date Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> two cornballs go on a cornball date

_ It’s just a date. _ Rey reminds herself this over and over, as she awkwardly waits for Sebastian to show up.  _ It’s just Sebastian. _

She tried to will her palms to stop sweating, but to no avail, because he wasn’t “just” Sebastian anymore. He was now: Sebastian-friend-slash-possible-future-boyfriend. Thinking about him made butterflies flutter softly deep within her stomach.

“Hey, Rey, sorry to keep you waiting,” Sebastian says, as he walks up, “I told my mom I had a date and Maru nearly had to give her CPR.” He looks her up and down, “You look cute.”

Warmth spreads across Rey’s cheeks, but she pretends as though she doesn’t feel it. She definitely didn’t spend the better half of her day agonizing over what to wear. She had decided on a short flowy skirt and a simple top, it was still warm fall, and she would regret not wearing shorts and skirts come winter. Plus… she wanted Sebastian to tell her she looked cute.

“Come on, let’s go to the beach,” Sebastian urges, holding his hand out to Rey. Covertly, she wipes her hands on her skirt, before taking his hand. He grins, before giving her a light tug in the direction of the beach.

There was something about Sebastian that seemed different today. He seemed almost... Cool? Confident? Definitely off.

The beach is nice, slightly warm still from the lingering summer in the air, and the sun is high in the sky, not a cloud in sight. It’s silent, save for the cawing of seagulls and the soft crash of the waves as they meet land. Sebastian and Rey are all alone, and it’s perfect.

“Come this way,” Sebastian urges her, pulling her to the east of the beach until they reach a short, weak-looking bridge.

“There’s no way in hell that bridge can hold my weight,” Rey says.

“Come on, this bridge has been here forever. It’s never gonna break,” Sebastian responds, “Here, I’ll walk behind you.”

“That way if it collapses, you can turn back and run and leave me to drown?”

“The water is maybe eight feet deep, don’t be a baby.”

“You’re being a baby,” She retorts, her words feisty but her tone meek.

“How bout this? If, Yoba forbid, the bridge breaks, I’ll jump in after you. That way I either save you or we drown together.”

“That’s not as comforting as you think it is.”

“It should be,” Sebastian says, “I’ll always come after you, Rey. Always.”

Rey’s heart thumps annoyingly hard against her chest when he says that. She’s not used to romantic Sebastian. Not that she doesn’t like it, it’s just she doesn’t know how to respond to it.

The wood creaks beneath her as she walks, her legs wobbling like she’s a newborn deer. It’s wide enough to be almost comfortable, but she still takes her time making her way across. Sebastian follows closely behind, fighting the urge to scare her.

“This is where you wanted to bring me?” Rey asks, her eyes scanning the area. It’s less lively than the main beach area, with only a small dock to the south, and a couple of tide pools scattered through the entire beach.

“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Sebastian says, “I really like this part of the beach. People rarely come here and it’s kind of… dismal.”

“Lonely and dreary? Sounds like you.”

“Dreary? Maybe? Lonely? Not so much anymore,” He grins.

“What’s with you today?” She asks, “You told me I look cute. You’re making jokes, flirting, a lot. And, I mean, you’re not terrible at it.”

“I’m just, I don’t know, glad to be here. With you, specifically,” He grabs her little hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, “Now, come on, I actually have a plan.”

The walk over to the center of the beach, in the middle of all the tide pools.

“Are you gonna drown me in one of these pools?” Rey asks, jokingly.

“Not today,” He answers, “I… Um… Yoba, this is actually kind of embarrassing, now that we’re here. You gotta promise not to laugh at me.”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep, Seb.” He gives her a pointed looks and she rolls her eyes, “I  _ promise _ , okay?”

“Okay. I…” Sebastian looks away from her, too shy to face her, “I think about your face a lot, and what has always stood out to me most is your eyes. And the other day, I was out at the lake and I saw a rock in the water that looked kinda like the same color as your eyes. I thought it would be cool if we we looked for rocks that look like each other’s eyes.” His voice trails off as he speaks, as though he’s becoming more self-conscious the more he speaks. “Or whatever. I don’t care. This is lame.”

“Sebastian, I didn’t know you were so romantic,” Rey says, smiling.

“I didn’t either,” He admits, bashfully.

“Let’s do it,” Rey says, enthusiastically. “Whoever loses has to buy dinner!”

“It’s a date, not a competition.”

“That’s something a loser would say.”

Her goading works on him, and they separate, scouring the tide pools for the perfect rocks. Most of the rocks are a dark grey, but they’re not the right color. No, Sebastian’s eyes are like the night sky, dark and vast with a twinkle of endless possibility. Like space, Sebastian’s eyes hid a depth never before explored. How would she be able to show him that in a single rock?

“So, have you heard from your dad?” Sebastian asks as he searches.

“No, but I guess that’s good, right?” Rey answers, “If he wanted me back, I’d have to go.”

“You don’t miss him at all?”

“Of course I miss him. I miss him and the twins, but they don’t miss me,” She pauses, “Riot and Ren post a lot on their Pictagram pages, and if you didn’t know any better, you couldn’t even tell that my mom or I were ever a part of the family.”

“Why don’t you reach out?”

“They don’t want me, Sebastian,” Rey says, her voice soft, “Why should I bother them when they’re better off without me? And vice versa.”

“I get it,” Sebastian says, “Have I ever told you about my dad?”

“Nu-uh,” Rey responds, shaking her head even though he doesn’t see her.

“He, uh, he left when I was really young. I don’t even remember him really. I guess he and my mom were high school sweethearts, she got knocked up right before they graduated. He tried to do the honorable thing, marrying this girl he impregnated, but he left when I was a baby,” There a bitterness in his voice, the same one present in Rey’s when she speaks of her family, “He would send me letters every week when I was a kid. Weekly letters turned into monthly letters, then yearly. The last letter I got was when I was thirteen, and the last thing he wrote was ‘I wish I had had it in me to be a better dad.’ I haven’t heard from him since.”

Rey turns around to look at Sebastian, who is still scouring the beach. His face is somber, saddened by his own story.

“Sebastian, I’m so sorry,” she says softly.

“Don’t be, it’s not anyone’s fault that our dads kind of suck,” He says, “Anyways, after my dad left, my mom moved back to Pelican Town, where she met Demitri, who was only supposed to be here long enough to study the ‘exceptional fertility of the local land’.” He says that last phrase with pompous cadance. “She was in the woods, chopping some wood to start building our house, when he stopped her, upset that she was damaging the environment. He said that he fell for her the moment he saw her, dirt smudged on her face and a heavy axe in her hands, yelling at him to basically fuck off, and he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.”

“Your mom sounds like a badass.”

“She  _ is  _ a badass.” Sebastian pauses for a beat, “You know, when my mom first moved back, she was in desperate need of money, so Farmer Castillo actually commissioned her to build stuff for him. She told me that he would always overpay too, saying that the amount reflects the quality of work.”

Rey smiles, “That’s my Pawpaw. Always more than happy to help. I love him.”

“Yeah, Farmer Castillo is definitely one of the cooler people in town. Hey, have you found a rock yet?”

“I’ve found the perfect rock. Prepare to buy lunch, Sebby,” Rey snickers.

They hold their rocks behind their backs as they shuffle their way back together. They do a quick round of rock, paper, scissors, to decide who has to show their rock first. Rey, not-so-graciously, loses.

She holds the rock, really barely more than a pebble, on display on the palms of her hands. It’s a dark obsidian color with white speckles dusted all across the smooth surface.

“It looks like space and space looks like your eyes.”

“Aww, Rey, I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” Sebastian says, smiling, using her own words against her.

Rey’s entire face and neck turn red, from the bottom up like she’s from an old cartoon, “Yeah, well, show me what you found, you butt.”

Sebastian obliges, brandishing his rock like a prize. It’s a light, almost amber, brown cloudy with whites and greys. He holds it up to her eyes, comparing the two, nodding satisfactorily. “Like milk and honey,” he says, his voice barely loud enough for Rey to hear.

In that brief moment, the air between them becomes tense. Not with anxiety, but with…  _ heat _ ? It’s as though the entire world is blurred out and only Sebastian’s face is in focus. 

Rey lifts herself on her tiptoes, pulls Sebastian down by his shirt, and presses her lips against his. She can feel him press his hands against her back, the hard rock still in his grip pressing almost uncomfortably against her, as he kisses her back with intense fervor. She begins to feel a quiver reverberate within her lower tummy, and it travels upward, making its way up her chest, into her throat, and it escapes through her lips.

Startled, Sebastian steps back.

“Did you just..  _ moan _ ?” 

“Y-yeah,” Rey admits, not as embarrassed as she thought she’d be, “I think I just got horny for the first time, like, ever.”

Sebastian smirks, “Does that mean I won? Dinner on you?”

“Ugh! Damn it,” She groans, “Yeah, I guess. To the Stardrop Saloon?”

“Or…” Sebastian suggests, mischievously. 

“Or?” Rey repeats, intrigued. 

“My mom’s in the woods until nightfall and Demetrius took Maru to do some field research,” He says, “We’ll be home alone. We can skip dinner, maybe, go for dessert instead?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no corn was hurt during the writing of this chapter


	12. First Date Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dinner with a side of childhood trauma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obviously they're not going to have sex yet what the heck

It was a bold question, one that Sebastian regretted asking as soon as it left his lips. He expected Rey to bequeath him with a sharp slap across the face. It was what he deserved, after all. 

So, when she replied, “Okay,” her voice shaky and unsure, he could hardly believe his ears. 

“We don’t have to,” Sebastian says, sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, “I was just getting carried away.”

Rey grins smugly, her apprehension withered away,“What? Are you chicken?”

“No!” He says, “I just… didn’t think you’d say yeah. I am ill-prepared.”

“Okay, you chicken.”

Secretly, she was pleased. Though she had acquiesced, she really wasn’t prepared either. No, Sebastian wasn’t like the other romantic rendezvous she had had in Zuzu City, fueled by cheap liquor and adolescent anger. She actually  _ liked _ Sebastian, cared about him, and wanted to see him day after day after day.

“Why don’t we backtrack? Dinner, maybe dessert,” Sebastian suggests, “Um, real dessert. Not.. uh, you know…”

“That sounds good,” Rey agrees.

Before they begin their walk back into town, their respective rocks safely tucked away in their pockets, Sebastian offers up his hand to Rey. She takes it, noting that even though her fingers were always cold, Sebastian’s were colder, nestling her fingers perfectly in the spaces between his.

There were a few whispers as they walked into town, mostly from Jodi and Caroline, but other than that, the townsfolk weren’t shocked at the sight of the two together. Word travels fast in a small town, so the entire community knew by now that the two black sheep were, officially, romantically involved.

“Oh, Sebastian, what a pleasant surprise. I hardly ever see you outside anymore,” Evelyn, Alex’s grandma and the official town angel, says, as they walk by one of the town gardens. “You know, when the children were little, they would all come over for my famous cookies, but Sebastian, why he would always show up a little earlier than the others to help me bake them. Truth be told, I think he only liked to pick at the raw dough and sneak little bites when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

“How cute,” Rey teases him.

“It’s nice to see you too, Evelyn,” Sebastian says, trying to keep his voice flat, even though it’s obvious that he doesn’t want to be rude.

“You haven’t changed much since you were a child,” Evelyn continues, “Every response was ‘well, that’s dumb,’ and ‘how stupid’. Such a rude facade he would put on, but between us two,” she curls her finger and Rey leans forward to listen, “I think that the ruder he is, the more he likes you. Is he rude to you, dear?”

Rey smiles, “Yeah, sometimes, Sebastian is a real brat.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” He snorts.

“Ah, young love,” Evelyn sighs, “Well, I’ll let you two be on your way. Don’t be a pair of strangers, you two. I always have a fresh plate of cookies at home.”

Sebastian nods, “Thanks. Bye, Evelyn.”

She raises her dirty, gloved hand and waves the two of them goodbye, before returning to her gardening.

“She seems so sweet,” Rey says, once she’s out of earshot, “How did an actual angel sent from heaven raise a monster like Alex?”

Sebastian shrugs, “We were all friends at one point. We would all go to the beach, or the lake, or the forest and play cops and robbers, or knights and dragons, tag, hide-and-seek. Then, one day, we just didn’t go outside to play anymore. Alex became obsessed with seeing what was under Haley’s skirt, Haley became obsessed with, well, herself, and then we all kind of just went our separate ways.”

They reach the Stardrop Saloon and Sebastian opens the door, urging Rey to enter before him. Immediately, they are hit with the scent of fire-grilled meat and fresh ale. Pam, fresh off her shift as the valley bus driver, was sitting at her usual table at the far end of the saloon, and joined by Clint, the local blacksmith. At another table was a scruffy, older man with a beat-up looking sunhat, whose name was Willy, the fisherman, according to Sebastian, then there was Pierre, Abigail’s dad, sitting alone at a table as well. Practically prancing between the three tables and the bar, was Emily, perfectly balancing a tray of glasses, both full and empty.

“Hey, guys,” She greets the two of them, her voice somehow excited and relaxed, “Table for two?”

Sebastian nods, and Emily grabs a couple of menus from behind the bar, then gestures for them to follow her. She leads them down a short hallway behind two saloon-style doors, until they reach a door, which she opens and invites them into, handing them the menus.

“Can I grab you guys something to drink?” Emily asks, small notepad in her hand. She takes their drink orders, then promptly leaves, shutting the door behind her.

“This is a lot of privacy for a simple dinner,” Rey comments.

“Yeah, Gus actually has some kind of nondisclosure agreement in effect in here,” Sebastian explains, “If anyone asks, you were never here.”

“Why?”

“I mean, it’s a gossipy town. If two people want to have a private dinner without the whole town talking about it, they can let Gus know and he’ll take care of it.”

Rey presses a hand to her chest, fake appalled, “Is that why you brought me here? Am I just your dirty, little secret Sebastian?”

“I thought that was obvious,” He says, grinning mischievously, earning him a swift kick from beneath the table.

“You’re such an ass,” Rey laughs, “Anyways, what are you gonna get? It’s on you, right?”

“What? No! You lost!”

“I lost? You said that you didn’t know I was such a romantic.”

“You lost! ‘Your eyes are space’ compared to ‘milk and honey’? I practiced that for, like, two days!”

“You thought about what to say about my eyes for two days?”

“I think about your eyes everyday,” Sebastian says, “I think about your eyes, and your lips, and your voice, and your laugh.”

Rey rests her chin on her hands on top of the table, smiling wide at Sebastian, “Where is all this bravery coming from? When we first met, you were scared to tell Abigail that you liked her. Now, you’re hardcore hitting on me, to my face, after some sloppy making out.” 

Sebastian gives a weak shrug, “I just don’t feel self-conscious about that stuff with you.” 

“Why not?” She asks, curiously.

Before Sebastian can answer, the door suddenly swings open, Emily prancing in with two glasses and placing them in front of the two. She pulls her little notepad out of her pocket, “Alright, lovebirds, what can I get started for you?”

“Burger and fries, please,” Rey answers, politely.

“I’ll have the same,” Sebastian says, handing the menus over to Emily, who nods enthusiastically, and leaves the room once again.

“As I was saying,” Sebastian continues from before they were interrupted, “I feel like, with you, I can really be myself. I don’t have to try and impress you, because… you get me. And I’d like to think that I get you too.”

“You do,” Rey admits, shyly, “You always know how to make me okay, even when I don’t.”

She reaches across the table to hold his hand and he accepts, pulling her hand towards his lips and planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand. It’s such a soft, unexpected gesture and it fills her chest with a soft warmth. She hasn’t felt such tenderness towards her since.. Since her mom passed away.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sebastian asks, suddenly concerned, “Why are you crying?”

Embarrassed, Rey pulls her hand back and hastily wipes away the tears formed in her eyes. She didn’t realize how starved she was for touch until just now.

“Yeah, I’m okay, sorry,” She lets out a sheepish laugh, “That was weird.”

“You wanna talk about it?” He asks, trying to tread lightly. They were having a great time, if she didn’t want to talk about something that was bothering her, he wouldn’t push it.

Rey sighs, like she’s trying to fight her sudden sadness, “It’s not very feminist.”

“Uh, okay.”

“When I was younger and fantasized about dating, I imagined coming home one day and telling my mom, ‘Mom! I just met the person I’m going to marry!’”  Rey explains, “But that’s not going to happen. Ever.”

“That doesn’t have anything really to do with feminism, you big dope,” Sebastian says, trying to cheer her up, “It’s about a daughter, going through milestones, without the guidance of her mother. You shouldn’t ever have to feel like you have to justify missing your mom.”

“I just feel like I can’t talk about her anymore. Dad’s moved on, the twins love their new mom. It’s like I’m the only one who remembers her. It’s just..” She pauses for a second, “Not fucking fair. She deserved so much better than that.”

“Do you wanna, maybe, talk about her now? I would love to know more about her,” Sebastian offers earnestly.

Rey’s face lights up at Sebastian’s offer, “Really?”

When he nods, she smiles to brilliantly, and he realized how sad that is. A daughter disallowed from mourning her mother, from talking about her mother — it’s tragic.

“My mom,” Rey begins, “was the best woman I’ve ever known. I don’t know much about her life before she and my dad met, but I know she graduated from college at the top of her class, with a degree in nursing. Legend says that my dad had snuck out to go to Zuzu City one night to go to a party, but he had drank so much he needed to get his stomach pumped. Guess who was his nurse?”

“Who?” Sebastian asks, grinning, knowing exactly the answer, but also wanting to humor Rey.

“My mom, duh,” She continues, “He fell in love with her at first sight, he would say. They dated, long-distance, for a while, and eventually he got tired of not being able to see her all the time. So, my dad left Pelican Town, Zephyr Farms, and my Pawpaw and Grams, to be with her. They got married shortly after they found out my mom was pregnant with me, the twins came four years later, and she loved us all so much. She was kind, patient, and so smart, and I think my dad resented the fact that she was, like, the main breadwinner of the house. She made more money as a nurse than he did as an office drone at Joja Corp.

“Oh! And she was such a social butterfly, people just gravitated towards her. Men loved her, she was constantly asked out, but she was a loyal wife, and never strayed. She loved her family, more than anything else,” Rey pauses for a beat, contemplating her next words carefully, mulling them around in her mouth, “That night of the car crash, my parents had been fighting over something, but I don’t remember what it was. At this point, my parents were fighting a lot, well, not really my parents, so much as my dad. They told us they were going to go pick something up for dinner, but.. I mean, you know what happened. Anyways, after that, anytime I or the twins would cry about Mom, my dad would hush us up. It drove a wedge between my dad and I, and him dating Priscilla, our nanny, was just the nail in the coffin.”

“Yoba, I’m sorry, Rey,” Sebastian says, reaching over to touch her hand.

“Don’t be sorry!” She insists, “You know, this is probably the happiest I’ve been since I lost her. And it’s all because of you, Sebastian. So, thank you.” 

“It’s been my pleasure, Rey,” Sebastian says.

The door to the room opens and Emily walks in, skillfully balancing both of their meals in one hand on a carrying tray. They thank her, politely, and she leaves them once again. The sound of silence during dinner is a sign of a great meal, so with good food and good company, the two enjoyed the rest of their dinner in a comfortable silence.

 

* * *

Rey and Sebastian walked hand in hand back to Zephyr Farms, the sun was starting to set and, unfortunately, they both had school in the morning. Farmer Castillo was ushering his beloved animals back into their respective barns, and had waved to the two of them as they entered the property.

“Can I kiss you goodbye?” Sebastian asks, his voice low enough so that Farmer Castillo didn’t hear them.

Rey gives a small laugh, “Sure, but keep it respectful.”

He does, leaning down and giving her merely a quick peck on her lips, before stepping back, “I had a good time with you today.”

“Me too.”

“Oh! Before we forget,” Sebastian digs around his pocket, before pulling out the rock he has picked from the beach, “Here, I want you to keep it. And I’ll keep the one you picked out.”

Rey reaches into the pocket of her skirt and grabs the smooth black rock, and they make a trade. It was just a stupid rock, truth be told, but Sebastian had put so much thought into the idea, and that meant so much to her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sebastian says, giving her small hand one final squeeze. She waves him goodbye as he heads to the backroads, the quicker, more discreet way to get to his house, rather than through Pelican Town.

Rey heads inside, savoring the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Her grades were great, she loved living with her Pawpaw, working on the farm came natural to her, and she had great friends, and her first date with Sebastian was more than promising.

The weeks before her father had sent her away, Rey had been consumed by a darkness so dense, she couldn’t see through it. Now, in the light of Stardew Valley, she was finding her way yet again.

Rey walks into her room and begins unpacking her clothes, finally preparing to stay for good. Maybe she’d pull some of the old furniture from her Pawpaw’s shed, like her dad’s old dresser and mirror and things like that. Oh! Maybe she could order some posters and paint and really make this room her own.

Her phone buzzes in her pocket, and she quickly grabs it, unlocking it. Maybe it was Sebastian? Abigail? Sam? Her eyes scan the text and she feels her heart drop down, deep into her stomach. 

_ Rey, I know we haven’t spoken since you left, but I think it’s time for us to fix our relationship.  _

_ — Dad  _

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far: you're a trooper.


End file.
